The Gist
Following the latest batch of Epstein files released on January 30, the spotlight is back on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson for their association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are reportedly standing by their parents, but their relationship with Andrew in particular is "very strained and hard," a source told Hello!.
"It's sad for them, but the real tragedy is for the victims," royal biographer Robert Jobson told the outlet.
Even amid the latest scandal surrounding their parents,Andrew Mountbatten-WindsorandSarah Ferguson, following the most recent tranche of the Epstein files, a new report indicates thatPrincess BeatriceandPrincess Eugenieare still standing by their father and mother.
On January 30, the U.S. Department of Justice released the latest batch of the Epstein files, which not only included the former Duke and Duchess of York but also Beatrice and Eugenie, albeit only in association with emails and photographs sent to Epstein by their parents. In one email, Sarah indicates that her daughters will join her for a Miami lunch with Epstein—though it was just days after his release from prison in 2009; at the time, Beatrice and Eugenie were 20 years old and 19 years old, respectively. Regardless, as a source toldHello!, "The sisters are not abandoning their father."
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"They aren't turning their backs on him," the friend added. "But everything is obviously very strained and hard."
Veteran royal biographer Robert Jobson told the outlet that Beatrice and Eugenie "must be overwhelmed and aghast by this." Of their mother, he added, "What was she thinking? Taking her daughters—the late Queen [Elizabeth]'s granddaughters—to meet this vile, convicted animal? It really beggars belief."
Andrew and Sarah surrendered their Duke and Duchess of York titles in October; by the end of the month,King Charleshad stripped Andrew of all of his royal titles and privileges, though Beatrice and Eugenie retain their princess titles and Her Royal Highness stylings. Following the latest Epstein files drop, both Andrew and Sarah have moved out of their 30-room mansion in Windsor, Royal Lodge, with Andrew heading for the Sandringham estate and Sarah "lying low at an overseas spa while considering her future and where she is going to live," according toHello!.
"She is in a bad way and feeling very guilty," Jobson said. "The last time I was in touch with her, she was worried about her mental health and mulling over the 'what ifs.'" Jobson continued, "The girls have been very sympathetic to her, but that might start to unravel. You have to wonder if they will ever be seen in public with her again."
Beatrice and Eugenie's decision to spend Christmas with King Charles and the royal family at Sandringham "speaks volumes," he added. "It might be hard to rebuild what they had. It's sad for them, but the real tragedy is for the victims."
Jobson toldPeoplethat Beatrice and Eugenie trusted Andrew in that he had done nothing wrong, and "they feel pretty duped by the whole thing," he said.
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"I do think they believed their father, and now it has all backfired," he added. "I know that Eugenie, especially, has found it very difficult." He continued, "They are older and mothers themselves now and will be thinking this is appalling."
"I have sympathy for them," Jobson said. "It's not their fault who their parents were associated with."
According to a source speaking toThe Times, Beatrice and Eugenie are "likeable, they carry themselves well, and work hard at their jobs." Longtime royal biographer Ingrid Seward also told the outlet that the sisters "will be worried and saddened for both their mother and father, though, and anxious about the future for them."
"They both absolutely adore their father and want the best for him," a source who has worked closely with the family toldThe Times. "But they also crave privacy as much as possible."
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