Their Royal Highnesses Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughters of the Duke of York, have been formally asked by Prime Minister David Cameron to follow in their father's footsteps and act as trade ambassadors for the United Kingdom. This will be their first joint overseas engagement. The young princesses, aged 24 and 22 respectively, are to begin a year-long initiative to promote British industries (the GREAT campaign) on Thursday, by driving a Mini from the Brandenburg Gate across Berlin to Germany's British Embassy. They will then visit Hanover the following day, a nod to their German ancestry from this area. After the royal launch, the British-made, German-owned car will tour all sixteen German provinces. The choice to begin the GREAT campaign in this manner is a clear attempt to increase the positive public relations campaign for the royal family at which its youngest generation is so adept, and it is likely to be successful. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will be funding the trip himself, as his daughters are not official working members of the royal family despite their royal titles. This means that the trip is not an official royal engagement and is also a wise decision, as the lack of taxpayer funds involved in this trip will only increase the positive image that the young royals hope to portray.
The extreme likability of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry (the first cousins of Princess Beatrice & Princess Eugenie, also grandchildren of Her Majesty the Queen) have been hugely beneficial to a royal family that has in the past been troubled by scandal. It is only natural that their younger cousins, who are also poised and intelligent, would be seen as a positive addition to not only the royal family but to the country as a whole when it is represented on the global stage. In a modern era where the most formidable monarchy in the world must find a way to transition into the role of diplomatic ambassadors rather than their power-wielding role of the past, the youth and vitality of its youngest generation has been the best publicity possible.
Follow Lauren Moccio on Twitter @TheGrottoTweets for more commentary on news & politics.
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Comments: 21
Those girls should both go out and get real jobs. They are a long way down the succession and Prince Charles has gone on record in the past to say he favours a 'slimmed down' monarchy. it is also reported that Andrew wants his daughters to be more involved. This smacks of an attempt to do that.
We need smaller, not expansion of the RF
I believe that Princess Beatrice has gone on record stating that she wants a career, and she and her sister don't appear to have any plans to become official working members of the royal family. However, I think that acting as ambassadors for Britain--on their own dime--could be wonderful publicity for British tourism and industry, and as an American who is very pro-Special Relationship, I certainly look forward to that. :-)
We don't need any more royals waving the flag. There are already more than enough to go round.
most of us think the days of the special relationship are long gone. The special relationship is parroted by our leaders only when sucking up to your government!
Well they don't call him airmiles Andy for nothing do they Ishbel. He would go anywhere to entertain any despot in the world if it meant a free round of golf and a free meal with a few girls throw in, his former wife was no better and now we have his girls doing the same. Hopefully though they have learned a valuable lesson when they look back at what their parents got up to, namely, that with jetting across the world upholding the good name of the UK that it comes with responsibility. Something that their parents never had.
Of course, those in attendance are/were all from the Reagan Administration...and not "Officially" so.
This "administration" is an embarrassment.