Beatrice and Eugenie Are Proof One Thing Has Changed in the Royal Family Since Harry and Meghan
The York sisters' current roles have fueled claims that the rules have always been different depending on who was asking.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's current standing within the Firm is increasingly being cited as proof that the royal family has quietly given in to a 'half-in, half-out' model. The monarchy once insisted that such an arrangement was impossible when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sought it in 2020. Critics have called out the hypocrisy, arguing that the rules have always been different depending on who was asking.
Royal expert Simon Vigar addressed the contrast during an episode of The Sun’s Royal exclusive podcast. He noted that Beatrice and Eugenie have received leniency despite their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Jeffrey Epstein scandal. “They’re in an interesting position because they do public engagements, but they also have their private work and their private lives. They’re sort of half-in, half-out, actually, the thing that Harry wanted. Beatrice and Eugenie aren’t full-time working royals, so they don’t quite have the public exposure that the others do.”
The issue of exposure is precisely what forced the Sussexes to leave the royal fold. And despite the years of negative press since their exit, they remain popular among royal watchers. This was evident during their trip to Nigeria in May 2024. Royal author Tina Brown acknowledged their appeal and told the BBC at the time: “After all of the trashing of Harry this week… trying to blame him [for the rift]. When I saw him and Meghan in Nigeria, I had nostalgia. I felt this was what it could have been. These two, who are enormously appealing to the public and who are very good at it, were out there in Nigeria, sort of looking really attractive and being appealing people.”
Brown went on to argue that their decision to step back from royal duties created a vacuum within the monarchy. She added, “What a pity it is they’ve gone. There is that Harry-shaped hole in the monarchy at this time when they are in such beleaguered circumstances.” Her remarks shed light on why some insiders believe the Palace said no to offering the Sussexes a hybrid role; fear that they might eclipse the other senior working royals.
In the couple’s docuseries, Harry & Meghan for Netflix, they laid bare the refusal again. Harry explained how they wanted to have their "own jobs but also work in support of the Queen.” However, the response to the same was immediate and hostile. He reflected, “It became very clear, very quickly, that that goal was not up for discussion or debate. It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”
As 2026 unfolds, it marks almost five years since the Sussexes stepped back; the contrast has become difficult to ignore. Beatrice and Eugenie continue to balance their private careers with selective royal duties, while Harry and Markle remain permanently sidelined for seeking the same arrangement years earlier.
