Andrew Mountbatten Windsor may have been fired, but his daughters are still very much part of the Firm — and the family proved as much by closing ranks around them on Christmas Day, according to the Daily Mail.
Princess Eugenie, 35, “arrived with the others, walking at the very heart of the royal group as though cocooned by them to show she was still embraced, protected, and even cherished despite her parents’ forced absence,” body language expert Judi James told the outlet on Friday, December 26 of the princesses’ walk to St. Mary Magdalene Church with the rest of their family.
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“The Firm colluded” on the “well-planned choreography” — noting that Prince Edward, 61, even left his own family to walk with Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, 39, on the traditional December 25 walkabout in front of fans.
Eugenie’s expression seemed “performed, sustained, planned, and significant,” James told the Daily Mail. “It looked like a message of intent in terms of resilience and confidence in the face of her father’s ongoing scandal and banishment from the line-up.”
Princess Beatrice, 37, kept a “lower profile” and only joined the back of the group with her husband, Edoardo Mappeli Mozzi, 42.
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“Did Beatrice prefer to appear less committed?” asked James. “There were hints Beatrice might not have felt as assured.”
Unlike the rest of the royals, both princesses avoided well-wishers. “Eugenie fiddled with the buttons of her coat in an auto-contact barrier ritual that suggested a desire to self-protect, hinting at some fear or worry about the fans’ responses during this more intimate part of the outing,” James pointed out.
But their wide smiles on the church steps suggested the sisters wanted to “hold their heads up in public” in spite of their father’s fall from grace.
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King Charles III stripped Andrew of his titles earlier this year amid continued speculation over his connections to late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has long denied any wrongdoing.
As Examiner previously reported, Charles ensured the princesses’ titles and standing would remain intact as part of a “secret deal” to get Andrew to finally give up his lease on the Royal Lodge.
A source told the Daily Mail that Charles is also “very fond” of his nieces and believes they shouldn’t be punished for their father’s scandal.
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