Princess Beatrice attended the opening of a UAE bank’s new London branch just hours before the Mail began serialising a bombshell new book about her family.
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) issued a press release last Friday with a photo showing the royal, who is ninth in line to the throne, smiling in a line-up at the event in Mayfair.
However there was no mention of Beatrice in the 605-word statement, which named seven other people attending including the bank’s bosses and a Labour minister.
Among those in the picture were MP Douglas Alexander, the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security; and Mansoor Abulhoul, the UAE Ambassador to the UK.
FAB’s group chief executive Hana Al Rostamani opened the office, in the presence of the bank’s vice chairman Mohamed bin Saif Al Nahyan and three board members.
The press release also made reference to ‘other dignitaries from the UAE and the UK’ having been in attendance, but not naming Beatrice nor mentioning the Royal Family.
The Princess – who was attending the event in a private rather than official royal capacity – was also in photos and videos on the bank’s social media channels which suggested the event was last Thursday, a day before the press release came out.
The release was issued on the same day that the Mail started serialising Andrew Lownie’s explosive new book ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’.
The author has published a series of revelations in the book about the finances and alleged infidelity of Beatrice’s parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
Princess Beatrice (centre, cream jacket) attends the launch event for First Abu Dhabi Bank’s new branch in London’s Mayfair last Friday with a series of bosses from the UAE-based lender
First Abu Dhabi Bank issued a press release last Friday with a photo showing Princess Beatrice
The image was part of a press release issued by First Abu Dhabi Bank announcing the branch
An FAB spokeswoman told the Daily Mail: ‘HRH Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, attended the official opening of First Abu Dhabi Bank’s branch in London as a guest of the bank.
‘Our event marked a significant milestone in FAB’s longstanding relationship with the UK and brought together a range of stakeholders and special guests to celebrate this moment.’
It comes less than a year after the 37-year-old mother-of-two visited Abu Dhabi last November on a business trip where she was networking at the highest level.
Beatrice was revealed to have been rubbing shoulders with some of the region’s key power players both in public and behind the scenes.
Her visit came after the Duke of York faced calls to ‘come clean’ and reveal the secret sources of funding that are bankrolling his stay at Royal Lodge, Windsor.
The elder daughter of the disgraced prince spoke about artificial intelligence at the Adipec energy conference in Abu Dhabi on November 4.
The Princess also attended a private conference hosted by the UAE minister of industry, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the day before.
She was pictured at the event next to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the UAE’s president.
Princess Beatrice and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the UAE’s president, shake hands at an event in Abu Dhabi during her visit last November
Princess Beatrice (front left) attended an energy and AI summit in Abu Dhabi last November
The Al Nahyan royal family are one of the world’s wealthiest monarchies and believed to own billions of pounds worth of property in London.
Reporters were not allowed at the meeting, which included the CEOs of Shell and EDF, the vice president of Microsoft, and former Bank of England governor Mark Carney, now the UN special envoy for climate action.
US journalist Hadley Gamble, who interviewed Beatrice at the Adipec conference, told The Mail On Sunday at the time: ‘There was a general feeling that Beatrice was an unofficial ambassador for the UK.’
She added: ‘Beatrice was quite literally in the inner circle at a gathering of global energy CEOs, top finance guys and policy makers.’
Beatrice made several visits to the region last autumn, and younger sister Eugenie has also attended events there.
Beatrice – who is vice president of tech company Afiniti – was in Saudi Arabia last October for the Future Investment Initiative, described by Reuters news agency as ‘an opportunity for attendees to forge relations with some of Saudi Arabia’s biggest companies and its $925 billion sovereign wealth fund’.
FAB has had a presence in London since 1977, when its predecessor the National Bank of Abu Dhabi became the first Gulf-based bank to operate in the UK.
Princess Beatrice with her parents Andrew and Sarah at Eugenie’s wedding in October 2018
Eugenie, Andrew and Beatrice at Windsor Castle for Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018
The new London branch, located at 20 Berkeley Square in Mayfair, is said to offer ‘bespoke spaces designed to support private banking, corporate advisory, and tailored client services’.
Mr Al Rostamani said: ‘Over the past 48 years, the ties between the UK and UAE have deepened, with bilateral trade growing significantly to £24.3billion today.
‘The opening of our new London office is more than a relocation; it marks a strategic hub for the future of finance, a place where global insight meets regional expertise, and where innovation fosters lasting relationships.’
FAB has also launched what it described as a ‘cultural activation exploring the creative and cultural ties between the UK and the UAE’, which will feature ‘cinematic artist films and immersive storytelling showcases’.
It comes after FAB, which is the UAE’s biggest lender by assets, beat first-quarter profit estimates in April, boosted by strong growth in non-interest income from fees and commissions.
The bank, whose top shareholder is the $330billion Abu Dhabi wealth fund Mubadala, has been led by Mr Al Rostamani since 2021.
The Daily Mail has contacted FAB and Buckingham Palace for comment.