As their parents are ordered to vacate Windsor’s Royal Lodge, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie appear to be far away from the unfolding drama at the palace, having flown overseas
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have flown out of the country as their disgraced parents’ downfall continues to unfold.
Their father Andrew has been kicked out of Royal Lodge and stripped of his prince title in a bombshell move from King Charles, who forced his brother to give up his titles an honours.
The scandal surrounding Andrew reached a fever pitch when fresh revelations about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light earlier this month. Further shame for the Royal Family came when Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein victim, released a posthumous memoir accusing Andrew of sexually assaulting her three times as a teenager, claims which is strongly denies.
It’s understood that 65-year-old Andrew will now live in a property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, which Charles will fund from his own private purse. Sarah Ferguson, who had lived with her ex-husband at the 30-room mansion, has also been turfed out and will be making her own living arrangements.
As for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, they seem to be staying far away from the furore, as this latest development sends shockwaves throughout the Royal Family.
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Eugenie appears to be in Paris on a girls’ trip this week, with photographs showing the 35-year-old posing with pals on the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower providing a glamorous backdrop.
Meanwhile, elder sister Beatrice is in Saudi Arabia to attend the Future Investment Initiative event in the capital of Riyadh. Sunil Sharma, who hosts the Rational Voices with Sunil podcast, shared a snap of himself posing with the 37-year-old, writing: “A Royal Moment. Nice to meet and chat with HRH Princess Beatrice.”
Although Beatrice isn’t a working royal, it’s believed she likely attended the event on behalf of Afiniti, for which she serves as Vice President of Partnerships & Strategy.
Earlier reports suggested the princesses’ cousin Prince William – alleged to be the driving force behind taking a firmer stance on Andrew – had piled pressure on them behind the scenes in a bid to boot his uncle out of his crumbling residence. However, royal sources denied these claims.
As daughters of the son of a Sovereign, HRH Princess Beatrice and HRH Princess Eugenie will retain their titles in accordance with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917. Although they have retained their princess titles, the sisters’ lives will now undoubtedly have changed, and they must now face an unprecedented level of interest in their family life, through no fault of their own.
Discussing the toll this will likely take, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams noted: “This will be a deeply painful period for the sisters as their parents are both likely to languish in public disgrace and foreseeably so.”
Meanwhile, body language expert Judi James has noted that Beatrice appeared to be in ‘distress’ in her first appearance since new allegations about Andrew surfaced. Both Eugenie and Beatrice appear to have publicly distanced themselves from both Andrew and Sarah as the furore rumbles on.
In recent months, the siblings have become ‘rare visitors’ to Royal Lodge, and have maintained a “dignified silence” in the wake of he ongoing scandals. Instead, they are focusing their attention on raising their own young families, pursuing careers and trying to maintain some degree of normality.
But it’s not been easy for the sisters – especially Beatrice, who was always a ‘daddy’s girl’, as per Fergie’s biographer, and royal expert, Ingrid Seward.
It was therefore perhaps no surprise that it was Beatrice who was seen driving to her parents’ Windsor home on Monday. According to body language expert Judi, Beatrice adopted facial expressions that appeared to be “a stab of bravado” in the face of “unwanted attention”. The expert said that despite her efforts to show resilience, at some points the princess appeared to show “some distress”.
A full statement from the Palace on Thursday read: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.
“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
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