The royal family will be out in force on Easter Sunday supporting the King and Queen at the traditional church service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. But two notable absentees are Charles’ nieces, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who have made alternative plans ahead of the family reunion.
The York sisters have been keeping a relatively low profile since the downfall of their parents Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, although they were clearly still part of the royal fold over the festive season when they chose to join the King at Sandringham on Christmas Day, rather than spend time with their mother and father.
But since then, Charles, 77, has found himself in a predicament – and his relationship with his nieces is clearly complex.
Quietly supporting Beatrice and Eugenie in private
In private, the King remains a supportive uncle. Whereas one of Eugenie’s charities, Anti-Slavery International, cut ties with her as patron last month, the Princess still remains a mentor for The King’s Foundation’s “35 Under 35” initiative.
Beatrice is also one of her uncle’s Counsellors of State, which means that in theory, if the King cannot undertake his official duties as sovereign on a temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad, two or more Counsellors of State are appointed by Letters Patent to act in His Majesty’s place. In practice, however, the palace has always said that only working members of the royal family can be called upon to act as Counsellors of State.
As non-working royals, Beatrice and Eugenie still continue to avail of their grace-and-favour homes. Beatrice lives in the Cotswolds, but when she is in London, she still makes use of the apartment she used to share with her sister at St James’s Palace. Similarly, Eugenie moved to Ivy Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace, following her marriage to Jack Brooksbank in 2018. And while the couple divide their time between the UK and Portugal for Jack’s job, when they are in London they have access to prime royal property.
© Instagram / @princesseugenieMaintaining distance in public
Despite this private support of his nieces, the King appears to be holding a firmer boundary in public. He understands the need to protect his younger family members, who should not be punished because of the sins of their parents, but he is equally not presenting them front and centre at family gatherings.
While Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 36, will not be part of the royal family’s Easter reunion, and they were also absent from last month’s Cheltenham Festival, HELLO! understands that the York sisters will be seen at future family celebrations.
And contrary to reports, they have been invited to Royal Ascot. Senior members of the royal family have also been checking in on them and they have not been shut off. Whether Beatrice and Eugenie choose to attend such public, high-profile events is another matter.
© WireImage“The question is, would they want to go to a public event of that nature?” a friend of the sisters previously told HELLO!. “They will get criticism whether they go or not – and not just that event. They just can’t win. Bea has found the scrutiny very hard, especially the strain of the past few weeks. It has felt as though things have been in freefall, and she’s being hammered and bullied by commentators.
“Bea is keeping calm and carrying on. She learnt a lot from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. This is a family in turmoil, but Bea is working hard; the juggle of full-time work and being a parent is her main priority, in order to keep herself mentally strong and her life moving.”
Apart from being dragged into their parents’ scandal with the release of the “Epstein files”, in which their names do appear albeit show no wrongdoing, Beatrice, in particular, has been the subject of reports that her marriage is in trouble. Friends of the couple have since come out to rebut the claims.
Beatrice and Eugenie would also typically attend at least one of the King’s garden parties over the spring and summer, but given that the first is scheduled for next month, 6 May, at Buckingham Palace, it’s unlikely they will be present. Phil Dampier previously told HELLO!: “I think they have been tarnished.”
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