Scandalous headlines about their parents have been part of life for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The pair have grown up used to the exploits of their dad Prince Andrew and mum Sarah, Duchess of York attracting worldwide attention – although when they were small, their parents tried to protect them by banning newspapers at home and, thanks to an agreement with their principal, at school.
But there’s been no way of hiding the latest stream of sordid allegations that have surfaced in Andrew Lownie’s explosive new biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York. And the sisters are said to be “utterly mortified” by what’s been written – especially about Andrew, 65, and his links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – that it could lead to the breakdown of their relationship with their dad.
Eugenie (left) and Beatrice were once close to their father.
York family keeps a distance
A source close to the York family says the details in the book are even worse than they feared and as a result, “they’re keeping a distance from their dad. The extent to how much the relationship can recover will depend on what further revelations, if any, emerge”.
The claims made have been damaging not just to the Yorks, but to the whole royal family. They include allegations that Andrew’s friendship with Epstein was closer and went back longer than previously thought. There are eye-popping claims about his sex life, reports of numerous incidences of bullying staff and suggestions of receiving money in dodgy deals with foreign businessmen.
Andrew’s ex-wife Fergie, 65, doesn’t come out of the book well either. It details her hedonistic spending, efforts to avoid paying her spiralling debts and pursuit of high-profile men, including golfer Tiger Woods. Lownie says not only was Andrew regularly unfaithful during their marriage, but Fergie also had several flings.
A long-running controversy
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward says the revelations are hard for the couple’s daughters to hear.
“They will both be finding this difficult – it’s a horrid time.”
But it will take a lot more than this book to break their bond with their mother, whom they are very close to. On a podcast, they described themselves and their mum as a “tripod”, who always support each other. But they have been increasingly distancing themselves from their father in recent years.
Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, were in their early twenties when Andrew’s friendship with Epstein first attracted headlines back in 2011, three years after the US billionaire was convicted of sex offences. It also emerged that year that Epstein had given their cash-strapped mother money to pay her debts.
The prince was often seen in the company of Maxwell.
How Andrew and Epstein first connected
It’s believed that Andrew and Epstein first met in 1999, when British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell introduced them. Growing up, Beatrice and Eugenie knew Epstein as the kind American who gave them thoughtful presents and occasional gifts of money. In 2006, Epstein and Maxwell were among the guests at Beatrice’s 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle.
When, in 2015, accusations of sexual assault were first made against Andrew by Virginia Giuffre, the girls privately supported their dad but stayed silent publicly, advised that showing solidarity would not “benefit them in any way”, according to Ingrid. They have never said anything about the scandal.
Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking in 2019 and found dead in his cell a few months later. In November that year, Andrew agreed to an interview with the BBC – apparently supported by Beatrice – but his lack of remorse and defensive behaviour only made things worse. He was forced to step back as a working royal.
Beatrice regretted letting him do the interview, says a palace insider, and was angry that her father did not apologise for his association with Epstein. Eugenie was also very upset. In 2017, she founded the Anti-Slavery Collective charity, which campaigns against sex trafficking and modern slavery – the very antithesis of the crimes Epstein was accused of.
Eugenie’s new life abroad
In 2022 – the same year her father settled out of court with Virginia after she brought charges against him in a civil case – Eugenie moved to Portugal after her husband Jack Brooksbank, 39, landed a sales and marketing job as a luxury property developer there. Now the mum of two boys – August, four, and Ernest, two – and working part-time for a London art gallery, she frequently returns to the UK for work and family occasions but doesn’t see much of her father, according to another source.
Beatrice, meanwhile, is happily ensconced in a $7 million luxury farmhouse in the Cotwolds with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 41, their daughters Sienna, three months, and Athena, seven, and stepson Wolfie, nine. She works for a successful tech company.
Giving back beyond royal duties
Despite being busy mums and having jobs, both sisters also do charity work when they can. They’re not working royals but would like to do more on behalf of the family. Before the publication of Andrew Lownie’s book, there had been talk that their cousin Prince William, 43, might ask them to take on some official duties once he becomes king. According to Ingrid, the sisters would be the ideal people to help out if the increasingly slimmed-down monarchy gets too short-staffed.
“I think they would be open to doing more because they like to give back. I see them taking on the sort of role that Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent had when they were younger – working very hard doing philanthropic work but not taking centre stage. “They could be much higher profile than they are now. I think people see them as a couple of charming young women who are relatable and not entitled. And they feel for them because they’ve got this family problem with their father which is embarrassing and difficult for them.”
The girls are standing by their mum, saying they are a “tripod”.
Maintaining a spotless reputation
Whether the shadows being cast on their parents by the new biography also leave Beatrice and Eugenie tainted remains to be seen. A friend of the York family says the fact that the sisters haven’t caused any scandals themselves should hopefully hold them in good stead when it comes to representing the royal family in the future.
“Despite having commercial careers, to their credit they haven’t put a foot wrong. They are lovely young women – everyone who knows them says that. They have always been willing to do their bit to support the royal family.”
Grace and courtesy beyond privilege
The friend says the sisters have remained remarkably down to earth, despite being raised in great privilege with a father who taught them to believe “their breeding set them in a class apart”. Thankfully, they have not inherited his pompous nature.
“They are far more courteous and respectful towards staff than their father has ever been,” says the pal.
“Considering what they’ve been through, they’re remarkably well-adjusted.”
One trait they may have picked up from their mother, who has endured many highs and lows in the public eye over the years, is resilience, says Ingrid, and that may help them through these challenging times.
“Fergie is quite remarkable, the way she rises through these scandals that would squash most people, unscathed and still smiling. If they’ve inherited anything from their mother, it’s that.”
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