Princess Beatrice and Eugenie have found themselves cast in the shadows that surround their parents Andrew and Sarah, but it seemed initially as though the other royals would stick by them
Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice with their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested last month(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are persona non grata at royal events, but now their daughter Beatrice and Eugenie also seem poised to be cast out into the cold.
Long before Andrew’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, the King had been keeping him, for the most part, out of sight. Other than a family funeral, Andrew had not appeared in public alongside the rest of the Firm for some time. Last October, ahead of the release of his accuser, Virginia Giuffre’s, posthumous memoir, the King announced in a blistering statement that “notwithstanding” Andrew’s denials of wrongdoing, he would be formally removing his royal titles and styles. The storm cloud of controversy lingering over the monarchy has only worsened since then.
King Charles might have thrown his support behind survivors and taken radical action to distance his errant younger brother from the Royal Family, but the release of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice has only fanned the flames once more.
New photos have emerged that appear to show Andrew with young women – whose identities have been redacted, along with an image of paedophile Epstein with Peter Mandelson, and the former Prince Andrew.
And it seems that with Andrew exiled to Sandringham, his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie are now starting to feel the heat too. At first it seemed like the sisters would be left unblemished by the scandal surrounding their parents. Beatrice was even appointed deputy patron of Outward Bound, attending a reception to mark the occasion with her uncle Prince Edward, back in November at St. James’s Palace – but in just a matter of months, things have taken a far more serious turn for the sisters.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at Royal Ascot in 2018
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Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will ‘not be allowed to go to Royal Ascot’ (pictured in 2018)(Image: Getty Images)
‘Royal ban’
Over the Christmas period, it seemed very much like it was business as usual for the York sisters, who attended the annual lunch in London with their royal relatives, and then accompanied King Charles and the senior royals to church on Christmas Day. But now it has been reported that given the ongoing controversy – which has seen their own ties to the disgraced financier examined and questions about how embroiled they were with Epstein raised – they are facing a royal ban.
Neither Princess Beatrice nor Eugenie will be attending Royal Ascot, it has been claimed, and the ban from royal events may go even further it has been said, leaving them unable to attend the Easter Sunday church service with the Windsors, and unable to go to any royal garden parties that are in the books. According to a royal source, King Charles believes that having his nieces at such public events would not be good for the Firm’s image during a time of such turmoil.
Speaking of Royal Ascot, the royal insider told the i Paper: “They might attend the races among the crowd but they can’t be seen in the royal carriage procession with all this going on.”
Royal biographer Russell Myers added that while Prince William had previously invited his cousins to help him and his wife Catherine host a garden party at Buckingham Palace, it seems almost certain that this summer he will be following his father’s lead: “He can’t be seen to be acting out of turn against the King,” he said, “and there is no indication that he wants to.”
The King’s dilemma
While King Charles is understood to hold great affection for his nieces, given the ongoing situation, he has reportedly been left with no choice but to keep a distance to protect the reputation of The Firm. An insider told the Daily Mail: “Beatrice and Eugenie are particularly vulnerable at the moment. As they are dragged further into the Epstein web, the King is shifting his stance on the girls’ future. Although they aren’t implicated in any of Epstein’s wrongdoings, their own association with him threatens to tarnish the reputation of the throne.”
(FILES) This file photo taken on June 8, 2019 shows (L to R) Britain’s Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York, Britain’s Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York, Britain’s Lady Louise Windsor, Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York,, Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, James, Viscount Severn and Isla Phillips standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of aircraft by the Royal Air Force in London. King Charles III has been left wrestling with a new test after the arrest of his brother Andrew, the latest in a series of painful personal shocks to mar his reign. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP via Getty Images) / TO GO WITH Britain-royals-Epstein-Andrew-king,FOCUS by Caroline TAIX
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Although fond of his nieces, King Charles has reportedly been forced to consider the wider reputation of the Royal Family(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
According to the report, their uncle’s public guardedness has piled on additional anguish for the princesses, who are already struggling to deal with the aftermath of their father’s arrest, on top of the repeated references made in relation to the York family in the Epstein Files. However, both sisters are understood to be dealing with this in very different ways.
The royal source added: “Both girls are very highly strung and emotional, like their mother. Beatrice is trying to come to terms with it matter-of-factly although can’t help bursting into tears regularly – not for her father but for the implosion of her own world and, especially, the family’s cold shoulder. Her royal status means more to her than Eugenie.” Taking a markedly different approach, Eugenie “has apparently gone into denial – fingers in the ears, head in the sand, hoping it will all go away.”
Family fractures
While Beatrice and Eugenie are said to have been “blindsided” by the reported decision to exclude them from this year’s Royal Ascot, it’s believed this isn’t the first time that tensions have arisen ahead of the annual five-day event. Newly resurfaced images from the 2017 Ascot show future Queen, Princess Kate, deep in conversation with Zara Tindall, while husband Prince William chatted away with Mike Tindall.
The relaxed dynamic seemed to shift significantly when Princess Beatrice approached the party, with Kate appearing to fall silent. Meanwhile, William was seen adjusting his posture in such a way that it appeared to create a subtle yet notable physical barrier between his cousin Beatrice and the others.
Body language analyst Judi James previously told the Daily Mail: “Kate’s ‘acceptance’ of Beatrice into her social group of three looks flimsy and even a little frosty here, hinting at a degree of distancing that pre-dated most of the recent strain of the Epstein scandal.”
ASCOT, ENGLAND – JUNE 20: (2ndL-R) Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Beatrice of York, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Zara Philllips and Princess Eugenie of York are seen in the Parade Ring on day 1 of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 20, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)
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A supposedly tense encounter from Royal Ascot has resurfaced(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Indeed, it’s been suggested that there has long been a frostiness between Kate and the York princesses. Having been “convinced by their father that William was marrying below his status”, the sisters allegedly made middle-class Kate’s entrance to palace life “uncomfortable”.
And the situation has reportedly worsened in recent months, with Beatrice and Eugenie understood to have been left off William and Kate’s Christmas gift list. A source told the Daily Mail: “Once it became clear that Andrew’s dealings with Epstein were far murkier than a solitary accusation made by Virginia Giuffre, Kate has kept a distance from the entire York family.”
Struggling but defiant
Eugenie has been removed from the website of Anti Slavery International, a UK-based charity she was patron of for many years, and stepped down from the role, amid the scandal. Both sisters have only appeared in public on a handful of occasions, but they are reported to be struggling with the controversy.
However, a friend told the Daily Mail that they both “have a great sense of public duty” and that “They were always happy to carry out engagements when asked by their grandmother [Queen Elizabeth] or by other members of the family. They don’t see why they should slope away like criminals when they’ve done nothing wrong.”
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
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Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie (Image: PA)
Lownie said that after speaking with insiders, it is clear that Eugenie initially was the one to take more steps to “cut loose” from her father. “The girls clearly want to keep in with the Royal Family, partly that’s where their future lies, and their commercial prospects lie.
“Remaining princesses, being able to do business in the Middle East, and that was the deal that I think has been struck by Andrew to leave Royal Lodge. But that doesn’t preclude them quietly, secretly showing loyalty to their parents by seeing them privately. So it’s not having to make a choice.”
An insider echoed these sentiments to People magazine, saying that “They want to hold on to their royal status. It’s their identity.” However, with government sources making it known that they will be consulting on formally removing Andrew from the line of succession once police investigations into him are complete, questions have been raised about whether the York sisters and their children should retain their own position in line to the throne.
“In my view, in the future, they will end up losing their royal titles,” royal expert Richard Palmer has said. “I think we’re going to see a lot less of them. They obviously want to keep a low profile at the moment, and in future, I think they’ll just fade into the background.”
He added, “It might be cleaner for all involved. Being princesses who are non-working royals is confusing for people already because they have titles, but they don’t do anything for the monarchy, they don’t do anything for the nation.
The two sisters have titles despite not being working royals
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The two sisters have titles despite not being working royals(Image: PA)
“They’re essentially just private individuals who get privileges of being members of the Royal Family – but they’re probably going to have to say goodbye to some of those privileges which they’ve enjoyed for a long, long time.”
However, behind closed doors, Beatrice is reported to be struggling, left unable to eat and sleep, and leaning on only her very inner circle, as she deals with the backlash that surrounds her parents, and her father in particular. “Beatrice is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She is horrified by what has been revealed about her father, as any child would be, and of course, her absolute sympathy is with the victims,” a source told royal expert Tom Sykes for the Royalist.
“Beatrice is slowly coming to terms with the enormity of her father’s alleged crimes. It is an incredibly painful process.”
‘Serious questions’
The Daily Mail recently reported that both Beatrice and Eugenie received payments from David Rowland, a controversial billionaire friend of Andrew’s. Sources close to the siblings have asserted they had no recollection of these alleged payments from tax haven banker Rowland, who reportedly paid off their father’s £ 1.5 million loan from his family’s bank in 2017, according to Bloomberg. The following year, Rowland was in attendance at Eugenie’s wedding.
Princess Beatrice Windsor and Princess Eugenie Windsor attend The State Funeral Of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022 in London, England.
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It’s been alleged that both sisters received payments from controversial billionaire David Rowland(Image: Getty Images)
Remarking that these claims raise “serious questions” for the York princesses, Lownie said of the alleged payments: “It’s time for the princesses and their father to come clean.” However, there are those who believe staying quiet could be the most sensible approach. As royal biographer Ingrid Seward told the Mail: “Speaking out could make things worse for them. I’ve no doubt they’ve been advised to lie low and keep out of the way.”
Epstein questions
Just how well Eugenie and Beatrice knew Epstein is a question that has been on the lips of many commentators, including bestselling royal author Andrew Lownie, who penned a bombshell biography about Andrew and Fergie, ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’.
The sisters’ names both appear in the Epstein files, which is not necessarily a sign of wrongdoing, but has raised concerns for some about just how close they were with the financier. Though their introduction to Epstein and his circle would have undoubtedly been due to their parents’ friendship with the sex offender, even as adults, they seem to have had something of a relationship with him.
Lownie told the Mirror that in his view, “The daughters are deeply involved in this.” He adds that in his opinion the claims that both Beatrice and Eugenie had begun distancing themselves from their father, and that “they didn’t know about all these people they were introduced to” don’t entirely add up, explaining: “but the fact is they were all part of the same ecosystem.”
First known photo of Prince Andrew, Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein together
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First known photo of Prince Andrew, Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein together
He continues, “They certainly didn’t, even in their twenties, when they dealing with these people they didn’t raise any concerns. It’s only now, when they’ve been caught, that they think they need to try and distance themselves.”
When they were aged 19 and 20 respectively, his assistant appears to have booked them plane tickets to visit him after his release from prison for child sex offences, along with their mother, Ferguson. Another 2011 exchange, three years after his conviction, shows a correspondent, believed to be Ferguson, telling him how Beatrice believes he should be free to move on with his life.
The email was sent after Ferguson publicly denounced Epstein to journalist Geordie Greig, while maintaining contact with him behind the scenes. “Beatrice and I had a discussion and we agreed it was important to call Geordie back and make sure he understood the severity of NOT making a mistake and getting it wrong about Jeffrey, because he was sent to prison for sexual offending, but that he had done his penance and was out of jail and moving on with his life,” the email read. “And Geordie was NOT in anyway to go down the P. route. I duly did the call, and Lee Ashley Johnson was also witness to that call as well as Beatrice.”
In 2010 and 2011, there are references to Epstein’s associates either meeting the sisters or him requesting an introduction to them. In 2015, an unknown account emailed Epstein, mentioning that Beatrice would be joining them on a group trip to Mexico. “Oops…in Mexico on the group trip with DK, founder of Twitter etc. and it turns out princess Beatrice will be joining us too.
Photos of Andrew were in the Epstein files
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Photos of Andrew were in the Epstein files(Image: US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/AFP via)
“I can see the headlines already. 🙂 Do you still talk to them?” the sender wrote. Epstein replied, “she likes me its ok.”
These are just a few of the references to the sisters in the Epstein files, and ones that caused royal commentator Afua Acheampong-Hagan to tell the Mirror that they had pretty “grim” implications, for Beatrice in particular. ” It’s so difficult, because at this point she knows he is a convicted a sex offender right, that’s grim to me,” Afua explains. However, she adds that “I absolutely, 100 per cent believe that [Epstein, etc.] were lovely to her, definitely.”
The expert adds, “He was probably very pleasant, he was probably very generous, he was probably fun to be around. But two things can be true at the same time, you can be charming, but you can also be a paedophile.”
