Prince Andrew and Duchess Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson are said to be causing their daughters fresh heartache amid claims the royal family has completely shut out the disgraced Yorks.
Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, are reportedly “barely holding it together” as new allegations surrounding their parents’ links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have resurfaced.
In late September, it was revealed that the Duchess of York had sent a grovelling email to Epstein in 2011, calling him her “supreme friend” and appearing to apologise for previously criticising him in public.
The controversy follows years of damage to Prince Andrew’s reputation over his friendship with Epstein, which ultimately led to the late Queen Elizabeth stripping him of his titles and patronages in 2022.
The fallout has since seen King Charles III exclude the Yorks from all public-facing royal events – including the traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham.
On Monday, a palace insider told Radar Online that while Beatrice and Eugenie remain devoted to their parents, they are exhausted by the drama and are “barely holding it together”.
“Just when they start to move on, another scandal hits the papers,” the source said.
“They love their father deeply, but they also know they can’t outrun the shadow his name now carries.”
Another source claimed the sisters have made a pact to “stay quiet” aware that speaking publicly would “only fuel the fire.”
“Behind closed doors, though, they’re deeply upset and ashamed,” the insider added.
“They’ve worked hard to create their own paths, but the scandals keep dragging them back into the chaos.”
The York family was last seen together in public with the rest of the Firm on September 16 at the funeral of the late Duchess of Kent in London.
Witnesses noted Prince Andrew attempted to make conversation with both King Charles and Prince William, but neither appeared eager to engage.
Days later, Fergie’s email to Epstein resurfaced in the press, prompting several charities to cut ties with her.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that the renewed backlash could prompt Beatrice and Eugenie to step back from public life.
“This will be a deeply painful period for the sisters as their parents are both likely to languish in public disgrace and foreseeably so,” he said.
“The Yorks have always been a close-knit family. However, their 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.”
Despite the growing fallout, sources suggest King Charles “has a soft spot” for his nieces and may still invite them to Christmas.
Royal author Phil Dampier told the Mail the situation placed both the monarch and the York sisters in a difficult position.
“The King has a soft spot for both Beatrice and Eugenie and feels sorry for the situation they are in,” he said.
“So it’s a real dilemma for him and one he could do without.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.skynews.com.au ’
