Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are likely to keep their distance from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to a royal expert, as both sides of the family navigate their own difficulties.
Speaking to the Daily Express, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said it is not in the interests of either princess to be close to the Sussexes at the moment.
Expert: Cousins will stay clear
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “We know that Eugenie was the member of the Royal Family who people thought was closest to Harry and Meghan. I don't think it's in the interests of either Eugenie or Beatrice to be close to them at the moment, given the sensitivities with the Sussexes' sudden return and overshadowing royal events.
“I don't think either Eugenie or Beatrice want further trouble. They've got enough. So I suspect they will keep very well clear of the Sussexes. But on the other hand, things are so fluid.”
Harry moved back to the UK at the end of August with Meghan and their two children, although it is not known whether he has spoken to the princesses since returning.
Challenges for both families
Beatrice and Eugenie have faced difficulties after their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, were linked to convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Both Andrew and Sarah deny any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan are adjusting to life in the UK again after quitting their royal roles in 2020. The couple have made a number of allegations against the Royal Family in the years since leaving The Firm.
Living arrangements
Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, currently live in Oxfordshire, not far from where Harry and Meghan are rumoured to be living in the Cotswolds.
Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank left England for Portugal in 2022. They now live in CostaTerra, a small town on the Alentejo coast between Comporta and Melides, around an hour away from Lisbon.
Sources told Hello! that the relationship between the cousins is now virtually nonexistent. “Harry and Meghan are not so close to Beatrice and Eugenie anymore, and Harry did not see Eugenie over the summer in Portugal,” an insider told the outlet. “Harry has very few friends left from before. They’re going to have to make some serious social inroads and gatherings to get back in the fold.”
