00:00Hi, I'm Emily Nash, I'm Hillo's Royal Editor, and I'm outside Christie's at the auction house in central London,
00:06where I'm about to interview Princess Eugenie about a very special exhibition.
00:11Your Highness, thank you so much for sitting down to talk to us today at Christie's.
00:16This is a meeting of two of your passions, ocean conservation and art.
00:21Tell me, what are your impressions of blue art for the oceans?
00:25Well, oh my gosh, it's been a year in the making, and so coming into the galleries today
00:32and actually seeing all the art on the walls that this committee has spent a year doing,
00:38it's really fantastic to see the hard work, but also the dedication from these artists.
00:44You know, like artists now, they're asked a lot to commit work to charity auctions,
00:50and what I think, firstly, I think it's a credit to them, but I also think it's a credit to
00:55the charity
00:56and to Blue Marine for the work they do, you know.
01:00They really put their, where the money, where the mouth is, or whatever the saying is, you know,
01:04they do what's on the tip, they actually do the work that we all want to see.
01:09They protect the ocean, they create these marine protected areas
01:13that you can actually see the biodiversity and the marine life coming back to life
01:18when these areas are protected, and it just makes sense, you know.
01:22And so, you know, it's an honour to be a part of it.
01:26It was an honour to talk to the artists about the Blue Marine Foundation
01:31and get their excitement involved, you know.
01:33They were excited to hear about it and to be a part of it, you know.
01:36So yeah, I'm very happy.
01:38And do you have a favourite piece? And if so, why?
01:41I think all of them are beautiful.
01:44I, you know, Rashid Johnson is an artist that I work with at my gallery,
01:49and so I've known him for a very long time, and his work really speaks to me
01:54because I've known him and his work for so long.
01:57I think Lydia Blakely's work is stunning with the octopus, and, you know, many, many more,
02:04but those are a couple that have really spoken to me.
02:07And you've been involved with the organisation for quite a long time.
02:11How are you feeling about the work being done to achieve the goal
02:14of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030?
02:18I mean, I think it's so easy to feel frustrated and to read the news
02:25and think that things aren't happening,
02:28and then you have the hope in the Blue Marine Foundation
02:31or hope in people that want to put their neck on the line for changing something.
02:37You know, I think it's so important to have these conversations and to inspire people.
02:43Art really inspires change, and I think that Blue Marine did that too,
02:48and the ocean does that.
02:49The ocean is such an inspiring place, you know, just being next to it
02:52and breathing it in and seeing it and seeing the light glisten on it.
02:54I mean, everyone has a memory of that, you know, as a child or as a grown-up.
03:00So I think, you know, I'm really positive about the work that's being done.
03:07Charities like Blue Marine are really important and integral to that.
03:10And I think, you know, just pass that information on
03:13so that one person can pay it forward to the next, the next, the next,
03:17to say, you know, do your bit in trying to protect the ocean,
03:20pick up that bit of plastic or, you know, read up about it, write to someone,
03:24try and change a little bit of your journey, you know.
03:27Now, earlier this week, you shared a wonderful family photograph
03:31taken on the beach Christmas 2022, I believe,
03:34to celebrate your sister, Princess Theatry's pregnancy news.
03:37How important is spending time by the sea to you and your family?
03:41Yeah, that memory, every time I look at that picture of all of us,
03:45we had the best time flopping around in the Norfolk Ocean.
03:49I mean, it really was...
03:50Freezing.
03:51It was freezing, but it was so fun, and all the children were soaking,
03:54and everyone was crying at the end.
03:56And it was like, we picked up all the shells,
03:58and, like, obviously the boys got their hands in the dirt and the sand,
04:02you know, and I think, like, that memory is just bringing me such joy.
04:08I mean, I remember when I was younger, I mean, I shouldn't say this for me,
04:12but I threw a jelly shoe into the ocean.
04:14My friend's jelly shoe, she cried, and I just remember being like,
04:16oh, I didn't realise it goes in and doesn't come back.
04:19That's one of those, like, kids' memories.
04:22But I just, I think the ocean is so amazing and mesmerising,
04:28and the sound of it, you know, I don't know if you do this,
04:31that sometimes I put, like, the sound of the ocean on to go to sleep.
04:34Oh, I should do that.
04:35So it's like a meditation, you know, and the smell and the sound of people laughing by it,
04:39it's just, it really is so healing.
04:42And it touches, apart from landlocked countries, it touches the world at all sides of it.
04:48And there's something different in every part of it, and a different story,
04:52and a different, something exciting and new to realise, and scary.
04:56Yeah.
04:56Which I think is the part that makes it, you know, this wonderful thing to protect, really.
05:02Because you've talked about having been afraid of the ocean as a child,
05:06and you're clearly over that now.
05:08Well, you know that feeling when you look at the bottom of the pool,
05:12you think a great white shark's coming towards you.
05:14Yeah, I mean...
05:14Never goes away.
05:15Yeah, you jump in the sea, and there's, like, there's the unknown.
05:19Like, there's so much to see down there, and it's funny, we all, you all see it on top,
05:26but then when you go under, it's like, look at what you can find,
05:29the biodiversity and the creatures under that.
05:31I mean, it's phenomenal, but it's so unknown.
05:35That's why, it's that fear, there's that tingly feeling, you know.
05:37Yeah, and are you instilling this love into your boys?
05:41Are they swimming?
05:42Are they...
05:43They love swimming.
05:45The sea in Portugal's a bit...
05:47It's a little bit rougher.
05:49So we've got our feet in, but Augie is a fish, literally loves it.
05:56And he, we have whales and dolphins all across the walls.
06:03We're big Asian people.
06:04It's only signed up.
06:05Yeah, yeah, and actually, this is a good plug,
06:07we've got the Blue Marine Foundation did a book,
06:10and it's a Blue Marine-backed book,
06:12and I did a forward for it, and so every morning, Augie's eating breakfast,
06:15and he's like, Mama!
06:16And then we go through, and it teaches, and it shows the children
06:20how they have to find the creatures in the pictures in the book.
06:25And the next page is like the facts about, you know,
06:28the cuttlefish, or the great white shark, or the seal,
06:32and it, like, talks about, and Augie loves it.
06:34That's fantastic.
06:35Yeah, it's really cool.
06:36They're going to learn all about the importance of conserving the ocean from you.
06:41Both the King and the Prince of Wales have spoken a lot about the need to protect the planet.
06:45Do you feel a responsibility to add your voice as a member of the royal family
06:49to the general discussion?
06:52It's not necessarily about adding my voice,
06:54because I think they do a brilliant job as the leaders of this family
06:59in how they have spoken about the oceans and biodiversity and generally climate change.
07:06It's more that I read a book when I was, a few years ago, called Outlawation,
07:13and I was like, I need to do something about this.
07:15I just wanted to put my voice toward something.
07:20I think it's amazing that our family is that way-minded,
07:27and anything I can do to support the King and the Prince of Wales
07:30in what they're doing is hopefully added value.
07:34But it's very much an honour to speak about this
07:39and to have a passion for something like this.
07:43There must be some great conversation about conservation.
07:47Yeah, exactly.
07:48Your boys, obviously, are still very young,
07:50but have they understood the concepts of a new baby cousin?
07:53No, I haven't got that far yet.
07:55I think maybe Augie will see the tummy growing and realise that, no,
07:59they don't get it.
08:00They don't get it just yet.
08:00And lovely, your mum especially, who's had a challenging time of things.
08:06I mean, we've seen from her own Instagram post how excited she is.
08:09She is so happy.
08:10Mum's funny because she loves her grandchildren so much,
08:14but you can just see this pride for her two daughters,
08:17that she's like, my baby!
08:19Which is, when you become a granny, you must be the pride of the baby and your baby.
08:25She's got double whammy there, really.
08:28Yeah, I feel very lucky to have that support.
08:30Thank you so much for joining us.
08:32Is there anything else you think we should know about the Blue Marine?
08:35What I wanted to say was, you know, the oceans are really, yeah, like triple threats
08:40in terms of the pollution, climate change, the biodiversity loss.
08:45And it feels frustrating at times, but the ocean really can support, you know,
08:52sucking up a lot of the carbon in the world.
08:55And it's, you know, the sea floor, things like sea kelp, seagrass, mangroves, seagrass.
09:01I used to have a little bit like, ooh, I don't like the feeling.
09:04But seagrass is amazing.
09:05I'm really fascinated by seagrass.
09:07And so that's something that I think everyone needs to learn,
09:10is that those things, if you can give for Christmas or if you can, I don't know,
09:16the birthday present, I sometimes give sea kelp, you know, and plant sea kelp in different areas.
09:20And I just think that is phenomenal.
09:23And I also just want to shout out to all the amazing artists who have given us this auction
09:28because really artists and art can change the world.
09:32And, you know, it's such an amazing thing to give a work, you know.
09:37So I wanted to thank every artist that gave.
09:40Thank you so much.
09:42I'm hoping you'll be back on the beach in Norfolk for Christmas.
09:44Yeah, yeah.
09:46Bit less chilly this time around.
09:48Yeah.
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