Beatrice and Eugenie in 2018 at Royal Ascot (Image: Getty)
The scalpel can be deadlier than the sword, and now some key royals are looking to use it to surgically slice themselves free of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Relations between the York sisters and Prince William, Princess Catherine, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said by a royal insider to have become strained – with Jeffrey Epstein yet again the spark.
It has been claimed that William fears a lack of discretion on the sisters’ part could backfire on the monarchy, after the siblings were mentioned in the recently-released Epstein Files. He’s clearly far too smart to risk the future of the institution by appearing too close to his cousins.
When Beatrice was 21 and Eugenie 19, they agreed to fly with their mum Sarah Ferguson to the US to meet vile paedophile Jeffery Epstein for lunch as he finished his prison sentence for procuring a 14-year-old girl for prostitution.
Catherine has reportedly never been very close to Beatrice and Eugenie while the Sussexes have yet to contact them since the scandal around Epstein and his links to the Yorks intensified.
Admittedly, falling out with capricious Harry and Meghan is not hard.
Harry has more chips on his shoulder than Harry Ramsden’s and Meghan could take offence at the way the sun rises in the morning.
Equally Harry and Meghan would jet across the globe for the opening of an Amazon parcel, so having them not hook up with Beatrice and Eugenie in the last few months is equally damning.
A royal insider has also pointed out that William was enraged at Beatrice hosting a tea party in Saudi Arabia in November not long after her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, became a commoner.
Read more: Royals ‘turn their back’ on Princess Beatrice and Eugenie
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William reportedly saw that as epitomising a lack of self-awareness.
I have sympathy for Beatrice and Eugenie – because where to they turn?
They have yet to speak out on the Epstein Files which names them both in passing (not for any wrongdoing I must stress), but it feels like they have been cornered – yet again by others.
First there’s the trip to see Epstein after his release with their mum. Clearly they were just tagging along with Fergie because she had wangled a free trip to the US.
Fergie’s staff approached Epstein’s PA to suggest the trip after he ended his prison sentence and then asked the financier to pay for her business class flight.
They flew to Florida first then travelled to New York for the lunch with Epstein which was clearly a pretence for Fergie to have a holiday in the US at someone else’s expense.
Shamelessly she is happy for a paedophile to pay for her jet-setting because in her mind, a freebie’s a freebie!
The princesses were only just adults, so they probably had no idea about the ramifications of what they did. Then Eugenie is humiliated by her mum again when she emailed Epstein to say Eugenie was on a “sha**ing weekend.”
Princess Eugenie was 19 years old at the time her mum wrote that and had just started dating her now-husband, Jack Brooksbank, with whom she shares two children.
Let’s not get started on all the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor stuff in the Epstein Files.
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In happier days with the rest of the Royals – in 2017 (Image: Getty)
So the sisters – who feel betrayed by their parents’ deep ties to Epstein – can hardly feel like being with their mum and dad and backing them to the hilt.
Yet equally it seems just by being semi-loyal to Andrew and Fergie, or associated with them by blood, they are persona non grata to the rest of the royals. Where do they turn?
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich said: “While both daughters were loyal to their parents, they now face the untenable choice of whether salvaging their own futures must prevail, given even their maiden York name is so toxic.
“They now have tough decisions to make. All children faced with the despicable behaviour of their parents have to make such a choice.”
Beatrice still remains ninth in line to the throne at present, whilst Eugenie follows her nieces in 12th position.
Years ago when I was a cub news reporter in Manchester we used to keep an old camouflaged WWII British Army helmet in the office.
When you made a complete Horlicks on a story, or failed to get the exclusive, the news editor made you put it on.
“You’re in the trenches!” He used to scream. I never felt brave enough to reply: “But that was World War One….?”
Beatrice and Eugenie are in no man’s land, or at the least in the trenches – it’s steel helmet time.