Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are facing an impossible decision as they try to balance loyalty to their parents with their own positions within the Royal Family, according to royal commentator Phil Dampier.
The sisters have endured a difficult year, beginning with the release of the Epstein Files in January, which revealed emails showing their father Prince Andrew and mother Sarah Ferguson had contact with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction.
Epstein Files revelations
The files showed an email sent to Andrew and Ferguson on July 24, 2010, in which Epstein expressed joy at serving his probation and being able to travel abroad, writing: "I will be in Paris starting tomorrow." Andrew replied: "Congratulations! Really, really good news. If you are in Paris around the 16th I'll be across to pay homage to your new life ahead!" He signed off with 'HRH The Duke of York KG'.
It was also revealed that Beatrice and Eugenie flew to New York with their mother to celebrate Epstein's release from prison. Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in jail in 2008 but served only 13 months before being released in July 2009, followed by a year's probation until August 2010.
Further emails showed Ferguson pleading with Epstein for financial help or a job, and in one 2010 message asking him: "Marry me!"
Fear of being frozen out
Throughout 2026, the sisters have feared being frozen out of the Royal Family amid claims that some senior royals, including Prince William, have been unhappy with the entire York family.
Dampier said the princesses are "reevaluating" their relationship with Ferguson, although they refuse to shut her out completely. He added: "I don't think they want to be seen with her in public at the moment, and she probably realises it's not a good idea either."
"They're reevaluating their own lives - they don't want to be tainted by scandal," Dampier said. He claimed the girls' relationship with Ferguson won't ever be "as close as it used to be" as "they've got their separate lives."
Different circumstances for the sisters
Eugenie is raising her three children with husband Jack Brooksbank at their home in Portugal, away from the attention surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's return to the UK. Beatrice, however, lives in the Cotswolds with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and their two daughters, leaving her closer to the ongoing scrutiny.
Beatrice now faces the added worry of being pictured encountering Harry and Meghan in public, while managing her parents' ongoing crises. Both Andrew and Ferguson deny any wrongdoing.
