Beatrice and Eugenie are ‘Just About Holding it Together’ After the New Epstein Files
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are allegedly distancing themselves from the public controversies of their parents, Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, in the wake of mortifying new details emerging from the newly released Epstein files. While sources suggest the sisters remain supportive of the former Duke and Duchess of York within the family circle, they are making a conscious effort to execute a ‘public separation’ to protect their own reputations and standing within the Royal Family.
The release of correspondence as well as images linked to the disgraced financier was yet another brutal blow for the House of York, further leaving the York sisters reeling from the aftereffects. Insiders describe a family unit that is holding on by a thread under the weight of new revelations. “The Yorks are just about holding it together as a family, but this has put new strains on their relationships,” a source told the Daily Mail, also suggesting, “The last I heard, the daughters were still supporting both parents behind the scenes.”
The princesses appear to be using a dual loyalty strategy. On one hand they are maintaining the private bond of daughterhood. But on the other hand, they are also ensuring their public lives are no longer attached to the scandals of their parents. The shift comes as emails allegedly sent by Ferguson to Epstein resurfaced, showing the former Duchess showering praise on the late financier. In one 2009 exchange, she reportedly thanked him for being the ‘brother’ she always wished for, and in another, jokingly told him, “just marry me.”
Sarah Ferguson, Princess Eugenie, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and Princess Beatrice attend a photocall on February 18, 2003, in Verbier, Switzerland (Image Source: Getty Images | UK Press)Sources close to the princesses suggest the sisters were largely kept in the dark about the extent of their parents’ closeness with Epstein. “They are aghast at what they have read. They are mortified by the emails their mother has sent to Epstein. It is so embarrassing for them," the insider added. The source also opined, "We don't believe the girls [Beatrice and Eugenie] were told much about what has just emerged, and they will simply be aghast at just how close their parents were to this appalling man."
Further compounding the embarrassment for the York family are images appearing to show Mountbatten-Windsor in compromising positions. While the former Duke has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing, the visual and written record as released recently has brought a lot of scrutiny for him and, by extension, his daughters.
Previously, reports suggested that while Beatrice was still communicating with her parents, Eugenie adopted a much harsher approach and cut all contacts. Her work for The Anti-Slavery Collective was said to have influenced this decision, but now the narrative has taken a much grimmer turn. Friends close to the 35-year-old suggest that the princess is ‘frustrated’ for being blamed for something she hasn’t even done. “I know that Eugenie feels like she’s being tarnished with a brush that’s not hers, that’s her father’s,” the friend told Page Six, also adding, “She’s very, very frustrated.”
The latest move, however, suggests that by separating their public image from the toxic York brand, Beatrice and Eugenie aim to navigate their roles as private citizens without the dark shadow of the Epstein scandal looming over their every move.