Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s royal wedding on Saturday, June 6, brought together much of the royal family. Among the guests were Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as the daughters of Sarah Ferguson and disgraced ex-Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie.
William and Kate were never particularly close to Beatrice and Eugenie, but the distance between them has only increased following the fallout from Andrew’s close friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to a March 2026 report from RadarOnline, William reportedly wanted the sisters’ “heads on the chopping block as part of a harder line on which royals should remain publicly associated with the institution.”
Meanwhile, a source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter that if Peter and Harriet’s wedding guest list had been up to William, Beatrice and Eugenie wouldn’t have made the cut. Still, they were invited because King Charles and Peter’s mother, Princess Anne, “have always had a soft spot for Beatrice and Eugenie.” The source added, “They wanted the girls there for Peter’s day.”
At the event, William and Kate reportedly “kept their distance.” One insider told Naughty But Nice, “There was no effort to mingle. No catching up. No private conversations. No attempt to create a family moment. Just a quick kiss Prince William gave his cousin Princess Beatrice as he arrived at the wedding before he quickly walked away.”
“William and Kate weren’t seeking them out,” another insider said. “And they certainly weren’t interested in being photographed with them.”
Interestingly, Charles extended the invitation but didn’t even attend the reception, as he and Queen Camilla attended Derby Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse. This sparked speculation that Charles’ busy schedule allowed him to “avoid potentially uncomfortable encounters” with Beatrice and Eugenie.
“There has been considerable surprise behind palace walls at the King’s sudden enthusiasm for attending the Derby,” one source told RadarOnline in June 2026. “While the event is undoubtedly important to him because of his mother’s affection for it, some people have noted that it also provides an elegant way of limiting the amount of time he spends at the wedding celebrations.”
They continued, “By having another major engagement in the diary, he has a perfectly legitimate reason to make an early departure without causing any obvious offence.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source stylecaster.com ’
