Eugenie Has 'Other Issues' to Take Care of Instead of Mending Harry’s Royal Ties: Expert
Princess Eugenie is seemingly stepping back from what many believed was a mending bridge between Prince Harry and the wider royal family. While she has been considered the Duke of Sussex’s closest royal cousin for a long time, people around them are currently not too convinced of that. In a recent interview, royal author Richard Fitzwilliams noted that both Eugenie and Princess Beatrice are trying to move away from all the family disputes and instead focus on their own careers, families, and charitable projects. Amidst a turbulent year for the House of York, the York sisters are aiming for neutrality over navigating the ongoing Sussex divide.
Speaking to GB News, Fitzwilliams was quick to push back on the idea that Eugenie or Beatrice are positioned as mediators. He emphasized that the sisters are currently preoccupied with their own lives. “Eugenie and Beatrice have other issues that they’re concerned with,” he said, adding that their recent public activities and appearances signal a clear change in focus. Fitzwilliams highlighted that both women are balancing their marriages and young children with growing professional lives, adding, “They are happily married, with careers, and do quite a lot of work for charity.”
The royal author also noted that King Charles remains supportive of his nieces even though they are not full-time working royals. “Actually, it’s very much the case King Charles wants them on board and to continue being on board, although not working royals, of course,” he said. Their growing involvement in charitable initiatives, he suggested, signals confidence from the monarch at a time when public optics matter greatly for the York family. Eugenie’s recent appointment as a mentor for The King’s Foundation’s “35 under 35” initiative has strengthened this narrative. Fitzwilliams viewed the move as a significant gesture of royal trust, observing, “Eugenie became a mentor for the King’s Foundation.”
Officially named to the role in May, her participation in a mentors’ brunch this November served as a clear public signal that she is prioritizing meaningful, long-term advocacy over internal palace friction. Simultaneously, the York sisters are also navigating a profoundly difficult year as the fallout surrounding their parents Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, continues to unfold. “Obviously, with their parents' problems,” he noted, “it’s a devastating year for them, I’m sure.” With each passing day scrutiny is only rising for Ferguson and Mountbatten-Windsor, inadvertently pulling their daughters into the media storm as well. While this controversy has undoubtedly shifted public perception, it has also drastically altered the sisters' relationship with Harry.
Once known for sharing a strong bond, the relationship between Harry and the York sisters has become increasingly complicated. Speaking to The Mirror, royal expert Duncan Larcombe previously said, “Harry has always been close to Beatrice and Eugenie,” but the controversy surrounding their parents’ scandals has created a difficult rift. Markle is also reportedly wary of how these ties are perceived in the United States. Larcombe suggests she “won’t want to be seen to be too sympathetic towards them, so will keep her distance.” This mirrors Fitzwilliams’ view that the sisters are staying out of the fray, as he noted, “I don’t think that they’d be playing a terribly active role in other issues,” regarding the Sussexes.