Princess Eugenie has risked everything by testing King Charles's patience with a controversial public appearance, according to royal insiders. The 35-year-old royal, who is pregnant with her third child, attended a dinner party for Dubai-based Discovery Dunes at Mayfair members' club Oswald's with her husband Jack Brooksbank.
King Charles's Protective Stance
King Charles has felt responsible for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie since their father, Prince Andrew, was disavowed due to his historic links with Jeffrey Epstein. Reports claim Beatrice in particular is struggling to cope with the stress caused by the public disclosure of the Epstein Files. Friends of Andrew's eldest daughter, 36, are anxious about her state of mind as the scandal has reportedly caused tension in her marriage to Italian Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
The King has tried his best to shield his two nieces. He has been paying their subsidised rent on their royal second homes: Eugenie's three-bed property in Kensington Palace and Beatrice's flat in St James's Palace. Charles has also invited the sisters to high-profile events like Royal Ascot, supported their attendance at his nephew Peter Phillips's recent wedding, and publicly supported Eugenie by having the Palace officially announce her third pregnancy.
The Controversial Appearance
King Charles may well feel let down by Eugenie, as just weeks after he openly congratulated her on her pregnancy, she was spotted at the sort of Middle East-backed function 'Air Miles Andy' would have attended in a heartbeat. Reports have even claimed the King felt "jarred" by photos of Eugenie leaving Oswald's after attending a dinner party for the Dubai-based project.
In her defence, the function for 'Dubai's first private members-only golf residential community for families' was an important one for Jack, who works in marketing and sales for Discovery Land Company, helping to develop the multi-million-dollar luxury community. Eugenie herself has extensive business and social ties to the Middle East and was reportedly spotted with her mother, Sarah Ferguson, in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.
Royal Insiders Speak Out
However, royal insiders say the timing of the public appearance, after she had rarely been seen out for months, has "blotted her copybook." It was "exactly the kind of project her father, whose love of golf, money and the UAE apparently had no bounds, would have once become involved with."
The National Audit Office report regarding royal property has recently shone a spotlight on King Charles's protection and support of both his nieces. So in the future, he will hope both will keep their heads down.
Earlier this year, it was claimed Prince William requested his two cousins undergo an independent financial and ethical audit to ensure no reputational risk linked to their father or Jeffrey Epstein. But royal biographers said they declined this request, sparking frustration as the Prince and Princess of Wales seek to restore the family's public image.
Conclusion
Both Beatrice and Eugenie need to think long and hard about what they have and who ensured they keep it. And they must make sure they show King Charles his trust was not misplaced.
