While the Duchess of York likely won’t be carving into a turkey on Nov. 24, she’s a big fan of both the holiday and the chance to reflect on the blessings of the previous months. “I’m so deeply, deeply grateful for the amount of wonderful, incredibly courageous children that I met this year,” the royal told E! News. Having traveled to Poland, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie‘s mom got to know the refugees who’d escaped from the war in their native Ukraine. “They just have the will and they have the strength and they have the peacefulness in their hearts because they want a better future for themselves,” she marveled. “And they want to go back to the Ukraine and they want to build again. It inspires me to keep fighting on and to keep believing in the innocence and the goodness of children.
Also on her gratitude list: Her time with the late Queen Elizabeth II. “When I think of the Queen,” she shared. “I think of beautiful, beautiful memories of strength, of leadership, of compassion, forgiveness and embracing what is truly right and good.”