{"id":2304520,"date":"2026-02-28T04:43:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T04:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2304520"},"modified":"2026-02-28T04:43:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T04:43:25","slug":"how-the-royals-have-turned-on-beatrice-and-eugenie-william-wants-them-at-arms-length-kates-even-chillier-and-theres-no-show-of-support-from-harry-and-meghan-now-sarah-rainey-tells-how-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/how-the-royals-have-turned-on-beatrice-and-eugenie-william-wants-them-at-arms-length-kates-even-chillier-and-theres-no-show-of-support-from-harry-and-meghan-now-sarah-rainey-tells-how-things\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Royals have turned on Beatrice and Eugenie: William wants them at arm’s length, Kate’s even chillier and there’s no show of support from Harry and Meghan. Now SARAH RAINEY tells how things are MUCH worse than they appear…"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Posing in salopettes on a ski slope, playing on the lawn at the polo, sharing a joke on the Buckingham Palace<\/a> balcony… pictures of the royal cousins enjoying each other\u2019s company over the years are countless.<\/p>\n

They give a precious glimpse into the close bonds shared by the late Queen Elizabeth\u2019s oldest grandchildren: William, Harry, Beatrice, Eugenie, Peter and Zara.<\/p>\n

But those friendships, once so strong, have come under immense strain in recent months \u2013 and in some cases brought to a point many royal insiders believe is beyond repair.<\/p>\n

The cause, of course, is the Epstein scandal and the torrid revelations that continue to haunt the former Duke of York.<\/p>\n

While Andrew\u2019s fall from grace, and that of his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson<\/a>, have been well documented, the spotlight has now turned on their daughters, Beatrice, 37, and 35-year-old Eugenie.<\/p>\n

Not only do the princesses\u2019 names appear several times in the infamous files, but questions are being asked over just how much they knew about their parents\u2019 dealings with Epstein and, separately, how they funded their notoriously lavish younger years.<\/p>\n

This month, reports emerged of a gulf between William, 43, and Catherine, 44, and the York girls. Harry and Meghan, too, once so close to the princesses \u2013 Eugenie especially \u2013 have yet to reach out, a source has told the Daily Mail. In private, however, we can reveal things are far worse than they appear.<\/p>\n

A source close to the family says William, mindful of being heir to the throne, is currently taking a \u2018hard line\u2019 towards Beatrice and Eugenie.<\/p>\n

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<\/div><\/div>\n

Following Andrew\u2019s fall from grace, the spotlight has now turned on his daughters Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A <\/div><\/div>\n

A source says William is currently taking a \u2018hard line\u2019 towards the York sisters, while Kate is said to have never been close to the pair<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018William has shifted his position quite a lot in recent weeks and really now thinks that the girls should be kept at arm\u2019s length,\u2019 the royal insider told the Daily Mail this week.<\/p>\n

\u2018He is particularly annoyed that they are frequently involved in projects in the Middle East, which could impact on relations with the UK royals.<\/p>\n

\u2018William, just back from a visit to Saudi Arabia \u2013 largely knocked out of the headlines by Andrew \u2013 is beginning a long-term project to promote relations between London and Riyadh.<\/p>\n

\u2018Beatrice and Eugenie going off piste with their own projects could muddy the waters.\u2019<\/p>\n

He is particularly concerned, the source says, by their apparent lack of \u2018discretion\u2019 and fears this could \u2018backfire on the monarchy\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018For example, Beatrice\u2019s decision to host a tea party for the wealthy in Saudi Arabia last November [the event was for women business leaders] just after her father became a commoner, angered William, who thought it epitomised the total lack of self-awareness which they have inherited from both parents.<\/p>\n

\u2018He is acutely concerned that the sympathy they are receiving in some quarters could quickly evaporate if tales of their hedonistic youth resurface.\u2019<\/p>\n

Nor did he take it well when, as the Daily Mail reported in November, they turned down his suggestion to allow an \u2018ethics\u2019 check to be carried out on their personal investments.<\/p>\n

This, William believed, would have shown a willingness to toe the line, protecting them from any alleged impropriety concerning Andrew\u2019s \u2013 and indeed Sarah\u2019s \u2013 financial dealings with Epstein.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Palace is acutely aware that Andrew and his business friends acted as Beatrice and Eugenie\u2019s financial advisers, and no one is quite sure what might not be entirely above board,\u2019 the source adds.<\/p>\n

There is also the future of the monarchy to think of and, as heir to the throne, this is foremost in William\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

\u2018William will undoubtedly be planning the future as best he can and it is highly unlikely to include Beatrice and Eugenie in any official capacity,\u2019 says royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in private, Kate\u2019s influence has shaped the cooling of her husband\u2019s relationships with Beatrice and Eugenie.<\/p>\n

She has never been close to the pair, the royal insider insists, after they \u2013 along with Andrew \u2013 made her arrival into the Royal Family \u2018very uncomfortable\u2019. \u2018They were convinced by their father that William was marrying below his status and that his relationship with Kate would fizzle out.\u2019<\/p>\n

The insider added: \u2018Both William and Kate find it hard to believe that neither Andrew nor Sarah saw anything untoward in Epstein\u2019s world and nor did Beatrice and Eugenie, aged around 19 and 20 when their mother took them to visit the paedophile in New York in 2009, just after he was released from prison.<\/p>\n

\u2018Once it became clear that Andrew\u2019s dealings with Epstein were far murkier than a solitary accusation made by Virginia Giuffre, Kate has kept a distance from the entire York family.<\/p>\n

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\"Both\u00a0Beatrice <\/div><\/div>\n

Both\u00a0Beatrice and Eugenie are said to still be ‘welcomed at Gatcombe’ where their cousin Zara Tindall lives with her husband<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Footage <\/div><\/div>\n

Footage in the 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan showed Eugenie visiting her cousin in California<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018Notably, there were no presents under the Sandringham tree [this year] for Beatrice and Eugenie from William and Kate \u2013 something everyone pretended not to notice.\u2019<\/p>\n

Neither of the girls were asked to be godparents for the Wales children; nor were Kate or William asked to be godparents for Beatrice and Eugenie\u2019s offspring.<\/p>\n

Much of this, of course, may be chalked up to the reality of having young families and busy lives.<\/p>\n

Beatrice has two daughters, Sienna, four, and Athena, one, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, as well as being stepmother to his nine-year-old son, Wolfie.<\/p>\n

Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank have two sons, August, five, and Ernest, two.<\/p>\n

Beatrice splits her time between her Cotswolds property and an apartment in St James\u2019 Palace, while Eugenie lives between Portugal and Ivy Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace.<\/p>\n

The Waleses, meanwhile, are mainly with their brood on the Windsor estate or Anmer Hall in Norfolk, rather than Apartment 1A, their official London residence.<\/p>\n

But even when their time in the capital overlaps, the cousins rarely make time to see one another \u2013 especially of late.<\/p>\n

\u2018The girls have tried to build some bridges with William, although he hasn\u2019t been as willing to reciprocate as they hoped,\u2019 the family source explains. \u2018They haven\u2019t seen each other very much at all over the past year \u2013 only at the two family Christmas lunches in December, which were both strained affairs.<\/p>\n

\u2018William and Kate were apparently polite but stand-offish on both occasions.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everyone is perfectly civil and avoids mentioning the Andrew-shaped elephant in the room when the girls are around.<\/p>\n

\u2018One of Kate\u2019s public appearances allowed an opportunity to make contact and share support about her recovery.<\/p>\n

\u2018But this was Beatrice rather than Eugenie. Eugenie really wants to keep out of the limelight and keep a low profile \u2013 spending a lot of time in Portugal and elsewhere overseas gives her the perfect opportunity.\u2019<\/p>\n

Indeed, the princess was last spotted at an art fair in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month in her role as a director at art dealer Hauser & Wirth.<\/p>\n

Beatrice, meanwhile, is very much present in the UK and had been, prior to his arrest at least, spending time with her father in private. In January, she and eldest daughter Sienna were seen at Royal Lodge, Andrew\u2019s Windsor home (before he was unceremoniously banished to the Sandringham estate earlier this month).<\/p>\n

Beatrice has also been leaning on another cousin, Zara, who \u2013 despite reports last week to the contrary \u2013 has been a much-needed shoulder to cry on as events turned from bad to worse.<\/p>\n

Zara, 44, and her former England rugby player husband Mike Tindall, 47, live at Aston Farm, on her mother Princess Anne\u2019s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, just down the road from Beatrice.<\/p>\n

She, a family friend reveals, continues to welcome both sisters at Gatcombe, principally so their young children can remain close to the family and do not feel ostracised by events beyond their control. \u2018Both Beatrice and Eugenie are still welcomed at Gatcombe,\u2019 the friend says.<\/p>\n

\u2018She has hosted family get-togethers there. Beatrice and Eugenie\u2019s children being kept close to the rest of the family has been Zara\u2019s mission.\u2019<\/p>\n

In recent months, the source adds, Beatrice has returned the favour at her Cotswolds home.<\/p>\n

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\"Sources <\/div><\/div>\n

Sources say the York sisters’ closeness to Harry has \u2018fallen apart\u2019 in recent years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Zara and Mike\u2019s children \u2013 Mia, 12, Lena, seven, and four -year-old Lucas \u2013 are said to get on well with Beatrice and Eugenie\u2019s. The gatherings \u2013 which, much like Zara\u2019s, are informal and relaxed \u2013 also give Beatrice and Eugenie a chance to stay in contact with their aunt Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, as well as cousin Peter Phillips, 48, and his children, Savannah, 15, and Isla, 13.<\/p>\n

Peter, who divorced his wife Autumn in 2021, also lives at Gatcombe and is also believed to remain close to the York sisters.<\/p>\n

From time to time, the source close to the family says, the King has joined low-key reunions \u2013 although in the past year, this has happened just once.<\/p>\n

Queen Camilla tends not to join him. She has, the insider says, urged Charles to \u2018keep his distance\u2019 from Beatrice and Eugenie, concerned about reputational damage by association.<\/p>\n

Behind Palace doors, by contrast, the King is \u2018fiercely loyal and protective of the girls\u2019 and has \u2018offered them as much support as possible\u2019.<\/p>\n

He is said to approve of the way they balance family life and royal duties with their charitable work and it is thanks to him that they have retained their HRH titles.<\/p>\n

But what of their cousin some 5,500 miles away in Montecito, California \u2013 Harry, 41, and 44-year-old wife Meghan, who knew Eugenie before she met her husband.<\/p>\n

They were certainly close at one time. Eugenie moved into Frogmore Cottage, the Sussexes\u2019 ten-bedroom home on the Windsor Estate, after they vacated it in 2020 and there were reports that they planned to buy a house in Portugal near to hers to have as a European base.<\/p>\n

The pair are said to have visited Eugenie and Jack during a three-night mini-break to the coastal town of Melides, Portugal, after the 2023 Invictus Games.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, footage in the 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan showed Eugenie visiting her cousin in California, going on bike rides and playing with his son, Archie, on a beach. However, sources say her \u2013 and her sister\u2019s \u2013 closeness to Harry has \u2018fallen apart\u2019 in recent years, in part because of his fractured relations with his father and brother.<\/p>\n

\u2018The girls, along with Zara, tried hard to keep open channels of communication with a view to building a path to peace with the rest of the family, but all gave up the project,\u2019 a family friend says.<\/p>\n

\u2018Beatrice and Eugenie got on well with Meghan and had been part of a charm offensive organised by Sarah Ferguson to welcome her into the Royal Family.<\/p>\n

\u2018But they were tainted by their father. Meghan… was \u201crepulsed\u201d by him and couldn\u2019t understand why he was still allowed to carry out royal duties. She became increasingly wary of Beatrice who was too close and ready to sing the praises of her father.\u2019<\/p>\n

As a result, Harry has had little contact with the sisters in recent years. However, when their father was stripped of his royal title last October, a family insider says Harry contacted them by email from Montecito.<\/p>\n

\u2018How the girls responded isn\u2019t known,\u2019 the source says. \u2018But it all came to nothing because of the continuing revelations. Meghan in particular will want to keep her own brand clear of any link.\u2019<\/p>\n

As for what the next troubling few months hold, sources say there is only one way for Beatrice and Eugenie to proceed.<\/p>\n

\u2018It would seem only fitting if they kept an extremely low profile, avoiding royal events,\u2019 advises Richard Fitzwilliams.<\/p>\n

This means skipping the traditional Easter Sunday service at St George\u2019s Chapel, Windsor, and bowing out of any upcoming appearances during the summer.<\/p>\n

\u2018In private, of course, the sisters will need support as the pressures are so intense,\u2019 adds Mr Fitzwilliams. \u2018But a low profile and humility is the only foreseeable public course for them. They ought to bear in mind that silence, sometimes, really is best.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land.co.uk \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posing in salopettes on a ski slope, playing on the lawn at the polo, sharing a joke on the Buckingham Palace balcony… pictures of the royal cousins enjoying each other\u2019s company over the years are countless. They give a precious glimpse into the close bonds shared by the late Queen Elizabeth\u2019s oldest grandchildren: William, Harry, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2304521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[25884,27155],"class_list":["post-2304520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-dailymail","tag-royals"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/How-the-Royals-have-turned-on-Beatrice-and-Eugenie-William.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2304520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2304522,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304520\/revisions\/2304522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2304521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2304520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2304520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2304520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}