Why does Safari only use Google in private mode instead of DuckDuckGo?

I understand Settings > Apps > Safari > Search Engine is set to DuckDuckGo. Is that correct?

The setting immediately below it is Also Use in Private Browsing. Confirm it is "on". If it is "off" another choice for Private Search Engine will appear below it. Confirm it is also DuckDuckGo.

I fixed it by turning Also Use In Private Search to off, then manually selecting Duck Duck Go. Thank you.

Interesting. I can't imagine it should have been necessary to do that, but I was unable to duplicate what you described. Thanks for the explanation.