Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson have barely been seen recently but the fallout from their disastrous friendship with Jeffrey Epstein is still causing York family migraines. US financier Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in 2008, serving jail time and probation until the summer of 2010 – yet Andrew and Fergie kept in contact with him.
When Epstein emailed that he was a free man in July 2010, Andrew incredibly suggested they meet in Paris to “pay homage to your new life ahead!” Meanwhile over the years Fergie basically humiliated herself at the feet of the convicted pervert, once telling him Princess Eugenie was away on a “shagging weekend” and begging him, “Marry me!”
In February, Andrew was arrested in Sandringham, Norfolk, on suspicion of misconduct in a public office when working as a trade envoy. He strenuously denies any wrongdoing, as does Fergie.
But the shockwaves from the Epstein Files’ revelations is causing more than mere ripples for their daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
And sadly it is also hitting their wider families too, who are powerless to do anything about it.
In his 20s, Eugenie’s now husband Jack Brooksbank enjoyed birthday parties in some of Mayfair’s trendiest haunts and was even reportedly dubbed ‘Barman Jack’.
But Jack celebrate his 40th yesterday (Sunday) in a far more reserved manner. And it’s not just because he is now a married father-of-two living in Portugal.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams explained: “Jack is reportedly far less social these days, partly as a result of his move to Portugal, but the scandal that has enveloped Eugenie’s parents Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson has undoubtedly cast a pall over all their lives and sightings are often reported in the press.”
Andrew and Fergie’s Epstein Files’s emails have also caused a strain on Beatrice’s marriage to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, some royal insiders have claimed.
Beatrice, 37, and Edo, 42, are said to be mulling over quitting the UK with their children, and jetting abroad for a new life in the US.
Poor Beatrice – who has loyally stood by her parents, being seen out in public supporting her dad when he was still living at Royal Lodge in Windsor – is reportedly “desperate to hold things together” in the face of adversity.
Beatrice is also said to have taken on board how well a move away from the UK has worked for Eugenie, 36, after she established a home in Portugal with Jack in 2022.
Last week Eugenie and Beatrice were seen out together in London enjoying lunch in Mayfair. A rare public appearance for the pair side-by-side.
It feels like Eugenie and Beatrice’s lives are in a holding pattern while the world waits for their parents to come out and say something, anything, about their regrets over their enduring friendships with Epstein.
Andrew and Fergie appear happier keeping their heads down – and leaving their daughters to wear brave faces in public as they try to get on with their lives – rather than take any flak themselves. That’s just cowardice.