After being officially banned from attending the Royal Ascot races later this year, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are fighting back against senior members of the royal family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, who are making moves to cut them loose completely.
Although they’re said to be devastated and reeling after their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest – as well as the ongoing scandal surrounding their parents’ relationship with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – the sisters have made a pact not to walk away from royal life quietly.
While William, 43, and Kate, 44, lead the charge to “close ranks”, knowing a total separation from the Yorks is essential to protect the monarchy, we’re told Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, are plotting their next move.
PR rescue mission
Royal biographer Phil Dampier has hinted the pair are in the process of hiring a PR company to rescue their reputations amid new reports that the sisters aren’t allowed to attend any functions – including sitting in the Royal Box, the traditional carriage procession or a lunch at Windsor Castle – during the five days of the famous Royal Ascot festival in June.
“They both have loving husbands and children, but they need to restore their image,” Phil tells Woman’s Day.
“I can’t see them being removed from the line of succession, even if Andrew is. But we are in uncharted waters and any fresh negative revelations about them could be terminal.”
Tell-all interview looming
Indeed, as Andrew’s financial dealings continue to come under scrutiny, the sisters are said to be “getting very careful legal advice” before a potential tell-all interview, perhaps with Oprah Winfrey or Netflix.
A palace insider says, “They never thought they’d be under attack like this. Not having William and Kate on side is proving a costly error, and they’re realising that not accepting William’s offer to audit their finances could’ve been a grave mistake.”
Epstein files shock
With the release of the Epstein files – which reveal the sisters had lunch with the sex trafficker just days after his release from prison and were called on to give his contacts tours of Buckingham Palace – the future looks bleak for Beatrice and Eugenie.
William is now reportedly taking a “hard line” as he asks questions about just how much his cousins knew about their parents’ dealings with Epstein and how they funded their lavish younger years.
After the prince’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia was overshadowed by Andrew’s arrest, another royal source says, “William has shifted his position quite a lot in recent weeks and really now thinks the girls should be kept at arm’s length. “He’s particularly annoyed that they are frequently involved in projects in the Middle East… Beatrice and Eugenie going off piste with their own projects could muddy the waters, as well as backfire on the monarchy.”
This cooling of William’s relationship with his cousins is said to be influenced by his wife Kate, who has reportedly never been close to the sisters after they made her entry into the royal family “very uncomfortable”.
Misguided advice from Andrew
The insider says, “They were convinced by their father [Andrew] that William was marrying below his status and that his relationship would fizzle out.”
Even worse, Beatrice and Eugenie’s former besties Prince Harry, 41, and the Duchess of Sussex, 44, are yet to reach out to offer support. Meanwhile, though the sisters are publicly distancing themselves from their parents to protect their future, behind the scenes, we’re told they’re still supporting Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, both 66, who reportedly phone Beatrice daily.
Family survival comes first
“This is an institution in crisis,” says veteran royal reporter Katie Nicholl.
“While William will, of course, be concerned about his cousins and neither he nor Kate will want to be seen to be unkind, they are completely aligned in putting the family and its reputation first. “This is about survival and they clearly understand the need to distance themselves from the Yorks, including Beatrice and Eugenie, which is devastating for both sisters.”
Fergie & Andrew get the crown treatment!
The controversial Netflix series The Crown is officially over, but as the scandalous lives of the York family continues to be laid bare, insiders at the streaming giant say producers are wondering if they could revive it for a series of specials.
“There have been advanced talks about doing a limited series under the Crown banner about the Andrew saga, which is as dramatic, if not more dramatic, than the original series,” reports a source.
Already, Neon is bringing in viewers with its series The Lady, which stars Game Of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer as the former Duchess of York in a drama about her murderous assistant Jane Andrews, who killed her lover after being fired from her job at the palace.
