Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, daughters of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, and Sarah Ferguson, have found their social calendar significantly curtailed following major revelations about their parents’ connections to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Appearing in the Epstein files does not imply wrongdoing or criminal behavior.
The royal sisters, who stand ninth and 12th in line to the throne, will reportedly not join the royal family at the Royal Ascot, a major event for the British social scene that is also famous for the tradition of lavish and sometimes outrageous hats. The Daily Mail reported that this is not a decision the sisters made but rather they were told they could not attend.
Newsweek has reached out to Buckingham Palace by email for comment.
Why It Matters
Mountbatten‑Windsor was arrested, and later released, by U.K. police last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office, marking an unprecedented moment for a senior modern royal.
The arrest followed renewed scrutiny of documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Epstein files and allegations that Mountbatten‑Windsor may have shared confidential information with Epstein while serving as a U.K. trade envoy, claims he has consistently denied. He was released under investigation while inquiries continue.
However, his connection to Epstein has been a long‑running scandal, most prominently centered around Virginia Giuffre’s accusation that Mountbatten-Windsor sexually abused her in 2001 when she was 17. He denied the accusation and settled a U.S. civil lawsuit in 2022 without admitting liability.
The relationship with Epstein, who died in 2019 by suicide in a New York City jail, cost Mountbatten-Windsor his royal duties, military titles and public standing, and it has continued to draw legal and political attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
What To Know
Mountbatten-Windsor has faced significant repercussions for his connections to Epstein. First, he was stripped of royal title, and then, following his arrest, the British government discussed whether he should be formally removed from the line of succession to the throne, where he stands eighth.
However, this is the first time those consequences have fallen on other members of his family. Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, were reportedly told they can’t be at the Royal Ascot, which is held in June and averages between 250,000 to 300,000 attendees.
A source told the Daily Mail that Beatrice has taken the news “hardest” as she felt “completely blindsided.”
However, Beatrice and Eugenie have reportedly been trying to keep their distance from their parents to avoid any controversy.
“They have young children, and this is their grandfather—their focus is on protecting their own children from this,” a source told People magazine, referring to Eugenie’s sons August, 5, and Ernest, 2, and Beatrice’s daughters Sienna, 4, and Athena, 1, as well as her stepson Christopher, 9.
What People Are Saying
Afua Hagan, a prominent U.K. based royal commentator, previously told Good Morning Britain: “We saw Eugenie and Beatrice with the royal family at Christmas at Sandringham. Of course, Andrew was not there, not present and we cannot expect to see her in public with him.”
“It doesn’t mean that she may not be supporting him privately, but I think at this point it’s a very good indication that she has decided, ‘look, you do not have the values that we need to have not only in the royal family but in public life. Therefore, I don’t want anything to do with you.'”
Host Susanna Reid said: “This is not unusual in the royal family. We’ve got other royal rifts, of course, but this doesn’t just put her at a distance from her parents, but also it’s going to affect her relationship with her sister because we understand Princess Beatrice is taking a different approach, not stepping back from her parents.”
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