Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are alleged to have ignored a request from Prince William to review their business interests, according to a royal biographer who says the reported move ‘doesn’t look good’ for the King’s slimmed-down monarchy. Andrew Lownie claims the Prince of Wales wanted the York sisters to examine their commercial activities to ensure there were no potential embarrassments, but says they did not comply.
Beatrice and Eugenie are not working royals and do not receive money from the Sovereign Grant. Even so, they remain prominent members of the Royal Family, with titles, patronages and a visible presence at selected public events. Their parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, have long attracted controversy, and their daughters’ careers have often been discussed in the context of family connections and royal status.
William’s Alleged Request
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, Lownie said there had been a point when Prince William sought reassurance about the sisters’ outside interests.
‘The obvious thing for them to do would be to give up their titles and retire from public life. Concentrate on their careers and families,’ he said, arguing for a clearer separation between royal status and private work.
He then described the alleged intervention from the heir to the throne. ‘We had a moment where Prince William wanted them to carry out an audit of their business activities, to satisfy him that there were no embarrassing stories there. I understand that they didn’t do that and that doesn’t look good. We need more transparency from all members of the Royal Family to restore trust and respect.’
The claim has not been publicly confirmed by Kensington Palace or by representatives for Beatrice and Eugenie. Without official comment, it remains an allegation rather than an established fact.
Even so, Lownie’s wider argument is clear. In his view, the sisters continue to benefit from their proximity to the monarchy without being subject to the same scrutiny and restrictions now expected of working royals. He suggests that their historic reliance on the networks of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson sits uneasily with the Palace’s broader push for accountability and a leaner public-facing royal team.
Private Careers Under Scrutiny
Lownie, whose book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York examines the fortunes of Andrew’s branch of the family, argues that attempts to portray Beatrice and Eugenie as innocent casualties of their father’s downfall overlook their own position.
According to him, both women have sensibly used family connections to build careers in sectors where networks matter. Beatrice holds a senior role as Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at Afiniti, while Eugenie works full time as a director at the international art gallery Hauser & Wirth in London.
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On paper, that makes them examples of modern royals earning their own living rather than relying directly on public money. The difficulty, as Lownie presents it, lies in the blurred line between private careers and the social value attached to their royal titles.
Nothing in the available reporting suggests wrongdoing linked to their roles at Afiniti or Hauser & Wirth. The issue being raised is reputational rather than legal. Lownie’s argument is that perception matters, and that declining an audit requested by the future king, if that account is accurate, creates an awkward impression.
His call for them to step back from public life and give up their titles is a striking one. It also reflects how sharply opinion has shifted around the House of York. Beatrice and Eugenie were once seen largely as peripheral royal cousins. They now find themselves drawn into a broader debate about what a modern monarchy should be.
Andrew’s Shadow
That debate is intensified by the continuing fallout surrounding their father. Prince Andrew was reportedly arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He is accused of sharing confidential information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy.
There is no detailed public update on how the investigation is progressing or whether any charges will follow. What is clear is that Andrew’s arrest has brought renewed scrutiny to his conduct and to those around him.
Lownie argues that Beatrice and Eugenie have also benefited from those same connections, which is why he sees the alleged audit request as more than a procedural issue. In his reading, it goes to the heart of whether the Royal Family can convincingly claim to have learned from past scandals.
There has been no public response from Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Afiniti or Hauser & Wirth to Lownie’s remarks, and no independent confirmation of the alleged audit request. Until that changes, his account remains the view of one royal commentator rather than a confirmed Palace position.