‘This will be a deeply painful period for the sisters as their parents are both likely to languish in public disgrace and foreseeably so,’ Richard Fitzwilliams explained to the Daily Mail. ‘The Yorks have always been a close-knit family. However, [Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s] closeness to their parents is likely to mean that they are not involved, at least for a period, probably a considerable period, in new charitable projects.’ He did add, however, that as the sisters are ‘well established as a duo with constructive reach,’ their current projects could be protected from the ‘toxicity’ that now taints the York brand.
What is similarly unclear is exactly how this latest scandal will affect the sisters’ position within the royal family. Prince Andrew has, of course, been dogged by unsavoury headlines for years, encompassing everything from his own friendship with Epstein to his links with an alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo. Most recently, he has been at the centre of a furore following the publication of historian Andrew Lownie’s latest book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which details his reportedly murky financial dealings and alleged bullying of Palace staff.
While Prince William, who is said to be fond of the York sisters, has largely kept their reputation separate from that of their father, the embarrassing headlines now proliferating about their mother might be harder to ignore. William, Beatrice and Eugenie are ‘closer than lots of cousins might be – they have that unique shared experience and unusual life they all lead,’ a royal insider previously told HELLO! magazine. ‘This is an institution that they all belong to, perhaps in slightly different ways in terms of how they serve it, but they all believe in it and its future and want to do what they can to support it.’