Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie on November 29, 2023
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The Gist
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Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are “tarnished” by the scandals surrounding their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, according to royal biographer Ingrid Seward.
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“It has affected their lives a great deal,” she told People for the outlet’s latest cover story.
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Years of drama surrounding the former Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein culminated in his arrest on February 19—his 66th birthday.
As if their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s numerous accusations spanning back years weren’t enough, the former prince’s arrest last month was no doubt another level of embarrassment for his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
On February 19, the former Duke of York was arrested at his new home, Wood Farm, on the Sandringham estate on his 66th birthday, detained in custody for roughly 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew allegedly leaked classified information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when Andrew served as a U.K. trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. He hasn’t yet been charged and Andrew has always denied any accusations of wrongdoing against him.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie on September 14, 2023
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Though both Beatrice and Eugenie have been seen in public since Andrew’s arrest—though sparingly—the sisters’ typically full social calendar has ground to a halt. “They’re like a locked ship right now,” a friend told People.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told the outlet of Andrew’s scandal that Beatrice and Eugenie “are tarnished by this. It has affected their lives a great deal.”
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie on September 19, 2022
Credit: Getty
Though allegations about Andrew have swirled for years—as far back as 2019 and his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview—in October, he surrendered his prestigious Duke of York title days before his older brother King Charles stripped him of all royal titles and privileges, rendering him a commoner. Though he is no longer a prince, Beatrice and Eugenie retain their princess titles and their respective Her Royal Highness stylings.
On January 30, the U.S. Department of Justice released the latest batch of Epstein files, which included numerous mentions of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Almost immediately after, the former couple moved out of the home they shared, the 30-room mansion Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, with Andrew relocating to Sandringham, where he would be arrested within weeks. Sarah’s whereabouts are unknown, and she hasn’t been seen in public since Andrew’s arrest.
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice on January 18, 2013
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Of Andrew, royal biographer Andrew Lownie—whose book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York is about Andrew and Sarah—told People, “He has been pampered all the way through his life, in this bubble. Status is everything to him—it’s his only sense of identity.”
Lownie said that even now, the former prince “thinks he’s anointed—that it’s deeply unfair people have turned on him.”
As for Sarah, a friend told the publication that “She’s always been a fighter—that’s her trademark.” Though she’s made comebacks before, Seward said of the former Duchess of York, ‘This time no one is going to give her the airspace.”
“She always thinks she can bounce back,” a source told People of Sarah. “But this isn’t something that can blow over.”
As for Beatrice and Eugenie, “Their economic prospects depended on remaining within the royal family,” Lownie said of the sisters, who both hold jobs outside of the royal family. “Their jobs in client relations are based on being princesses.”
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie on June 8, 2019
Credit: Getty
“They’re caught between a rock and a hard place over loyalty to their parents and their future,” Lownie added.
King Charles is said to remain “very fond” of Beatrice and Eugenie, Seward said, but Prince William has long favored a harder line on Andrew, the outlet reported. “William wants it all cleaned out before he gets [on the throne],” Lownie explained. “He wants it dealt with now.”
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice on June 10, 2016
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It remains to be seen what will happen for all four members of the York family—Andrew, Sarah, Beatrice, and Eugenie—but what seems clear is that Andrew has run out of chances. “A stronger intervention earlier on might have prevented all of this,” royal historian Catherine Mayer told People.
Read the original article on InStyle