Princess Beatrice and Eugenie are having a tough couple of weeks. Since Sarah Ferguson’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein leaked, the sisters have kept their distance from their mother and father, Prince Andrew.
Speaking to the Mirror former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said. :”For [Princesses] Beatrice and Eugenie, anyone with a heart must surely feel sorry for them.” She added, “It seems they have had to witness their parents’ public humiliation time and again. And that must be incredibly hard when you love someone.”
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She continued, “And that’s just as well, because this really is worse than anything Sarah has been through before. And I fear there is more to come.”
The leaked email scandal has caused seven charities so far to remove Sarah Ferguson as patron or ambassador, according to the BBC. Those charities are Prevent Breast Cancer, the Teenage Cancer Trust, Children’s Hospice Julia’s House, the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the Children’s Literacy Charity, and the British Heart Foundation. Julia’s House said, considering the circumstances, it was “inappropriate” for Ferguson to continue in the role.
Another royal source told the site that the sisters have “as many questions as the rest of us” about her mother’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and that “a major bond of trust” has been broken between the family. “Revelations that their mother was much closer to Epstein, and for longer than claimed, will break a major bond of trust. Exactly what hold did Epstein have over her? Are there more skeletons hidden? The girls will have as many questions as the rest of us.”
The Times is reporting the King is set to keep both at arm’s length after the new revelations and would prefer for Prince Andrew and Fergie to be “invisible” at future gatherings, including their family Christmas celebrations. Last year, King Charles reportedly asked Sarah Ferguson for help convincing Andrew to “do the decent thing” and stay away from the royal family’s Christmas gathering after reports of his close relationship with alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo.
However, the King isn’t totally banishing Andrew and his ex-wife. “The King is not of the mind to banish someone worshipping at church or attending family occasions like a funeral. But he would hope they would find a more discreet way of attending these events. In the Duke of York’s case, he seems to relish the prospect of not being low-key about it.”
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, elaborated on Beatrice and Eugenie’s complcated relationship with their mom to the Daily Mail: “They probably knew what a state she was in when that email was sent 14 years ago. I think their first instinct will be to protect her. They’ve got no alternative but to support her even though they’ve already had to put up with a lot.”
As a result, the sisters are left to decide if they’ll attend the Christmas celebrations. ‘If it turns out they are not invited, or decide themselves not to go, then it makes it very difficult for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. They may feel it would be unfair of them to go when their parents aren’t there and it simply rubs salt in their wounds.
“The King has a soft spot for both Beatrice and Eugenie and feels sorry for the situation they are in. So it’s a real dilemma for him and one he could do without.”
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