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Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attended Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham despite their parents' recent scandal
Their father, the former Prince Andrew, was stripped of his royal titles in October amid renewed interest in his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Their appearance defied expectations after speculation they'd skip both royal Christmas and the holiday with their parents
Despite recent drama amid their immediate family,Princess BeatriceandPrincess Eugeniespent Christmas with the royals.
Just weeks after their father, the formerPrince Andrew, wasstripped of his royal titles and honorsbyKing Charlesamid renewed interest in his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the sisters stepped out at Sandringham to attend church with the royals on Thursday, Dec. 25. Their father, now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after losing his prince title, and their mother,Sarah Ferguson, were kept out of the family gathering.
Their appearance also defied expectations after speculation swirled that the sisters planned to forgo both the royal family's Christmas celebrations and the holiday with their parents, having faced a difficult choice between accepting the King's invitation or spending the day with their mother and father. Their decision to join the Sandringham walk instead marked a notable shift — and a visible show of alignment with the wider royal family.
Last year, Princess Eugenie celebrated the holiday privately, but Princess Beatrice joined the royals in Sandringham due to a last-minute change of plans. Princess Beatrice had planned to spend the holiday with her in-laws in Italy, but doctors advised against travel at that point in her pregnancy with daughterAthena, who was born preterm the following month.
Andrew, 65, and Sarah, 66, who divorced in 1996 but remain amicable,spent Christmas in 2024 privatelyin the wake of backlash surrounding his connection to an alleged Chinese "spy."
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie recently missedKate Middleton's annual Christmas carol service, an event they've both attended in prior years. PEOPLE understands that the siblings were invited to the Christmas service in early autumn, but they were unable to attend due to other commitments.
In amessage posted to her Instagram Storiesfollowing the event, Princess Eugenie expressed that she and her sister wished they could have been there.
"Wish Bea and I could have been celebrating tonight with our family," Eugenie wrote. "Wishing @princeandprincessofwales such a special evening at her incredible carol service. What an amazing message of love and hope."
Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and their parentsall attended baby Athena's private christeningon Dec. 12, marking one of their first joint family gatherings since Andrew's title removal in late October.
Then on Dec. 16, the sisters were seenattending the royals' Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palacewithout their parents. Andrew was seen riding a horse in Windsor Park, 22 miles away, on the same day.
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Andrewstepped back from his public royal rolein 2019 following hisBBC interviewin which he discussed his relationship with Epstein, who died in jail the same year while charged with the sex trafficking of minors. The late Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of hismilitary titles and patronagesin early 2022 after a judge rejected Andrew's attempt to have Virginia Giuffre'ssexual assault lawsuitagainst him dismissed, and he later settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Andrew continued to join the royals at family events in recent years, but there was renewed scrutiny of the former prince and Sarah in recent months. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, claimed in a memoir published posthumously that Andrew "believed having sex with me was his birthright," describing three occasions Epstein allegedly arranged for her to meet him beginning at age 17. Andrew has denied the claims.
In addition,recently leaked emailsshowed that Andrew was in touch with Epstein after he had claimed to break off contact, while Sarah called the financier "a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family" in another recently surfaced email.
Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
On Oct. 30, King Charles announced that he officially launched the process of removing his brother's royal titles and honors, which was made official via a Letters Patent released on Nov. 3. In addition, Andrew and Sarah mustvacate their longtime home in Windsor, Royal Lodge.
Despite the controversy surrounding their parents, PEOPLE understands thatPrincess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's titles and position are unaffected. They have never been senior working members of the royal family, but they continue to join the royals at family events.
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