<\/p>\n
Kate Middleton is reportedly extending quiet invitations to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie for her annual Christmas celebration \u2014 a move that speaks volumes about her desire to keep the royal family close and connected this holiday season.<\/p>\n
The claim comes from royal commentator and broadcaster Neil Sean, who says the Princess of Wales is making a deliberate effort to present a united front amid lingering controversies surrounding ex-Prince Andrew.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrincess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie received personal invitations for this year\u2019s \u2018Together at Christmas\u2019 from Princess Catherine\u2019s office,\u201d Sean claimed to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n
PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON ENFORCE \u2018ZERO-TOLERANCE\u2019 APPROACH AFTER PRINCE ANDREW\u2019S SCANDALS: EXPERTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is Catherine\u2019s project<\/a>, and she has the final say \u2014 very similar to the way Prince William operates Earthshot,\u201d said Sean. \u201cAbove all, yes, the royal family wants to be seen as united amid what has been a very difficult year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis puts the sisters in a very difficult dilemma,\u201d Sean pointed out. \u201cIf they don\u2019t attend, it looks like they\u2019re snubbing a prestigious invite. If they do attend, they know there could be a media circus with them at the center of attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. It\u2019s understood there\u2019s no official confirmation from any royal offices regarding attendance at this year\u2019s festivities.<\/p>\n WATCH: PRINCE ANDREW STRIPPED OF TITLES, EVICTED FROM ROYAL LODGE<\/strong><\/p>\n On Nov. 13, Kensington Palace announced that Kate, 43, will host her fifth annual \u201cTogether at Christmas\u201d carol service on Dec. 5 at Westminster Abbey in London. This year\u2019s theme is \u201clove in all its forms.\u201d<\/p>\n Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet<\/a> will attend following her appointment as an ambassador for The King\u2019s Foundation, one of King Charles\u2019 personal charities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis year, the service will bring people together to celebrate love in all its forms \u2014 whether it\u2019s love within families, through friendships, across communities or through powerful moments of connection with strangers,\u201d read a palace statement quoted by People magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a world that can often feel fragmented and disconnected, love is the force that reconnects us all \u2013 spanning generations, communities, cultures and faiths.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs we approach the Christmas season, we are reminded of the power of togetherness,\u201d the palace added. \u201cThe evening will highlight the transformative power of investing in one another with compassion, presence and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n Beatrice, 37, attended the concert last year.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The sisters remain in the midst of personal turmoil following their parents\u2019 exile from royal life.<\/p>\n On Oct. 30, the king stripped Andrew of his royal titles. He also evicted him from Royal Lodge after weeks of pressure to act over the former Duke of York\u2019s friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n The former prince shared the 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. She is no longer styled as the Duchess of York and must now find a new home.<\/p>\n Beatrice and Eugenie retain their royal titles under King George V\u2019s 1917 Letters Patent<\/a>. As the daughters of a son of a sovereign, they remain princesses and are styled Her Royal Highness.<\/p>\n \u201cPrince William is certainly in no mood to forgive and forget the scandal that Andrew and Sarah have brought forward,\u201d Sean said. \u201cHowever, Catherine believes in not assigning blame. The idea is that the sisters would make a low-key entrance and show support.\u201d<\/p>\n Royal commentator Amanda Matta told Fox News Digital there appears to be a \u201cconcerted effort\u201d to include the sisters in royal functions after their father\u2019s fall from grace.<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s almost a demonstration of acceptance toward them \u2014 a gesture meant to show there\u2019s no ill will for anyone, with Andrew viewed as the \u2018bad apple\u2019 in this framing,\u201d Matta explained.<\/p>\n \u201cSince the sisters have attended Kate\u2019s carol service in past years and reportedly enjoy an easygoing relationship with their cousin William, it makes sense that the carol service would be easily slotted in to provide another venue to showcase that acceptance,\u201d said Matta.<\/p>\n British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Kate\u2019s reported invite reflects a profound sense of duty \u2014 a deliberate effort to \u201cpreserve the institution.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis demonstrates emotional support from the ever-caring and compassionate Princess Catherine,\u201d Fordwich said. \u201cThis recent gesture is more about a desire to keep the peace. Beatrice and Eugenie know they should remain on cordial terms with Princess Catherine, leaning into the \u2018family brand\u2019 to preserve their royal standing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not so much a peace offering as a sign of respect for two women who continued royal duties while Kate and King Charles dealt with cancer last year<\/a>,\u201d royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. \u201cThese two women have done nothing wrong and have remained loyal to the royal family. Kate recognizes that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time now for the women in the royal family to be strong, make their voices heard and pull the family back together,\u201d Turner added.<\/p>\n Kate launched the \u201cTogether at Christmas\u201d carol service in 2021 to honor those who went \u201cabove and beyond for others\u201d during the coronavirus pandemic<\/a>, People reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n The event has since focused on individuals serving their communities across the U.K. This year, the princess aims to thank those who are \u201cacting with love in their communities, contributing to a more cohesive, connected society.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the devastating allegations involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the sisters are standing tall and carrying on with a united royal front,\u201d British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether they will attend Princess Catherine\u2019s Christmas carol service remains to be seen,\u201d Chard said. \u201cI\u2019m sure they will receive an invitation. My hunch is that Beatrice will attend, as she recently received a new patronage and has spoken publicly about the loneliness experienced during premature births. Out of the two sisters, Beatrice is more in the public eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Ongoing pressure has loomed over the palace to punish Andrew, 65, over new revelations about his friendship with Epstein and renewed attention on sexual abuse allegations by one of Epstein\u2019s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.\u00a0Her posthumous memoir<\/a> was published last month.<\/p>\n Giuffre accused Andrew of sexually abusing her on three separate occasions in 2001 when she was a teenager after Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her. While Andrew has consistently denied Giuffre\u2019s allegations and claimed he has no memory of meeting her, unearthed emails obtained by\u00a0The Telegraph\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Sky News<\/a> appeared to cast doubt on his denials.<\/p>\n PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON CHANGE THE GAME FOR ROYAL LIFE DUBBED \u2018TOTAL HELL\u2019 BY INSIDER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Epstein was found dead in his New York jail cell<\/a> weeks after his 2019 arrest. He was awaiting trial on U.S. federal sex-trafficking charges involving dozens of underage girls and young women. Investigators ruled his death a suicide. That year, Andrew stepped back as a senior royal following a disastrous televised interview about his friendship with Epstein.<\/p>\n Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted in 2021 for helping lure teenage girls to be sexually abused by him. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n Giuffre died in April at age 41.<\/p>\n