Zara Tindall is regarded as the one member of the royal family who gets on with everyone else and doesn’t get drawn into the rifts that have developed between some of her relatives. But Princess Anne’s daughter may now be forced to choose sides amid the current drama dividing her family. The mum of three may have to distance herself from her cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and be seen to be aligned with her other cousin, Prince William, thanks to the Epstein scandal.
While Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, both 66, are locked out because of their links with the convicted paedophile, their daughters Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 36, have kept their titles, and are still expected to be invited to join the rest of the royals for family events – even though they didn’t attend this year’s Easter church service.
Zara, 44, has always had a strong bond with the sisters and even held a joint christening with Eugenie in 2021 for their boys, Lucas and Augustus, who were born close together. The trio of cousins has often been photographed together, their bond obvious at various events.
Zara has invited her cousins and their families for dinners and sleepovers at her home at Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne’s estate in Gloucestershire, according to royal insiders. Biographer Richard Fitzwilliams says that Zara and her husband Mike Tindall, 47, are a great source of comfort.
Under pressure in the spotlight
“Beatrice and Eugenie had undoubtedly been struggling under the relentless media spotlight, with both of their parents in disgrace. Zara and her husband Mike have been extremely supportive, and her affections for them are clearly strong.”
But because of the sisters’ links to Epstein through their parents, including the revelation that when they were 20 and 19, they and their mother had lunch with the disgraced financier five days after his release from prison, having served time for sexual offences, Zara may be put in an awkward position if the pair are sidelined.
Loyalty to the monarchy first
“Zara and Mike’s first loyalty is to the institution of the monarchy, and its future,” points out Richard.
“They are reportedly in the ‘inner circle’ of the future reign of William.”
Zara has always shared a close relationship with William, 43. Just 13 months apart in age, they saw a lot of each other growing up, with Gatcombe Park not far from the King’s country home, Highgrove House. When Princess Diana died, Zara was a great comfort to William and he has said the only time he’s cried while watching sport was seeing Zara win a major equestrian event.
Close ties and quiet divides
He gets on particularly well with former rugby international Mike, and they are often seen joking and laughing together in public. In contrast, William has never been close to the York sisters, unlike his younger brother Prince Harry, 41, who forged a strong bond with Eugenie. William is furious about the harm his uncle Andrew has done to the royal family, and believes he and Fergie deserve to be exiled, according to a source. Whether that extends to Beatrice and Eugenie remains to be seen.
“Their names appearing in the Epstein files is not a sign of wrongdoing, but the release of the documents has raised questions about how much the sisters knew about their parents’ dealings with the convicted sex offender,” says the insider.
Beatrice gave her mother advice on how to placate a furious Epstein after Fergie called him a paedophile in an article, and also played a key role in facilitating her father’s disastrous Newsnight interview.
Business ties under scrutiny
The sisters’ business dealings with contacts who may have been made through their father and his connections to Epstein’s circle may also need to be investigated, says royal expert Ed Owens. Beatrice is a strategic advisor to a tech firm, while Eugenie is the director of an art gallery.
“If it is shown that they have benefitted from an elite network that was partially introduced to them by Epstein, this is problematic,” says Ed.
Inside the monarchy divide
He adds that their having “one foot in the monarchy and one out” could endanger the whole Windsor family.
While the King, 77, is fond of his nieces and wants to keep them in the family fold, William may feel it’s best to exclude them and the “toxic York brand” completely. And for Zara, that may mean choosing between the cousin who is the heir to the throne and responsible for protecting the monarchy, and the two tainted by their parents’ behaviour – at least in public.
