By Audrey Courty, ABC News
Beatrice Ferguson, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and Eugenie Ferguson attend an Annual Charity Day in 2015.
Photo: JOHN PARRA / AFP
Analysis – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s shocking arrest, followed by his release while under investigation, has once again cast a shadow over the York family.
While the former prince faces potentially serious consequences – including the possibility of being removed from the line of succession – the women closest to him are also grappling with the fallout.
His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, disappeared from public view when they were stripped of their royal titles last year. Once known for describing their bond as “the happiest divorced couple in the world”, she has not commented on Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
The scandal has reignited scrutiny over her past links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who she said in newly released emails was the “brother I have always wished for”.
Meanwhile, the pair’s daughters – Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35 – have also kept a low profile, with the controversy raising questions about their future roles in the monarchy.
Mountbatten-Windsor, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing over his friendship with Epstein, was released from custody on Thursday after being arrested on suspicion of sharing sensitive information with the disgraced financier during his time in public office.
For Ferguson, who continued living with her former husband for nearly 30 years before the pair were forced out of Royal Lodge last October, the road ahead is unclear.
“She will obviously be looking for somewhere to live and for a way of going forward,” ABC royal commentator Juliet Rieden said, before adding it was uncertain whether police might also seek to question the former duchess.
Meanwhile, Rieden believes the “beloved” York sisters, who are ninth and 12th in line to the British throne, will be shielded by their uncle, King Charles III.
Former Prince Andrew (L) with Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (2nd L), Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York (R) leave after attending a national service of thanksgiving for the 90th birthday of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 2016.
Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
“The king has made it clear that he doesn’t want to punish the daughters of Andrew and Sarah for their parents’ friendship with Epstein,” she said.
“Beatrice and Eugenie are innocent in this, and they’re obviously much-loved family members.
“I think the king is aware of the duty of care he owes to those girls as the monarch and also as the head of the family now.”
Still, Rieden said the scandal was likely to narrow their future roles, as the monarchy moved to protect its public standing – and reinforce that Ferguson and Mountbatten-Windsor were no longer part of the fold.
‘Fergie’ the royal outcast
Ferguson, popularly known as “Fergie”, has spent years on the fringes of the royal family and now fresh revelations about her ties to paedophile Epstein have pushed her further out.
“It was only recently that she was invited to a few family events. But she’s not been a working royal for an awfully long time,” Rieden said.
Sarah Ferguson, known as Fergie, Duchess of York. (File photo)
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Ferguson married the former prince in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 1986. They divorced in 1996 but remained close, living together until they were evicted from Royal Lodge last year.
Now, Ferguson’s whereabouts are unclear, though Rieden said: “We know she has ventured out of Britain.”
Some media reports suggest she may have spent time in the United Arab Emirates or with her daughters, who divide their time between London and homes in the Cotswolds and Portugal.
The US government’s January release of more than 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein’s activities has left Ferguson exposed and increasingly isolated.
Emails in those documents show Ferguson sought emotional and financial support from Epstein, calling him a “legend” and offering him a woman with a “great body”.
Another email in 2009 appears to indicate Ferguson took her daughters – then aged 19 and 21 – to visit Epstein in the US after he was just released from prison for soliciting minors for prostitution.
“If the emails are indeed accurate, then Sarah Ferguson had a very close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and she has to answer for that,” Rieden said.
“She needs to do exactly the same as Andrew and talk to the authorities.
“I think that is the only way forward for her.”
Several charities cut their links with her in September after a tranche of files showed she continued her friendship with Epstein despite his conviction.
Last Monday, the charity she founded herself, Sarah’s Trust – which focused on improving the lives of women and children – announced it would also close for the “foreseeable future”.
“This has been under discussion and in train for some months,” the trust said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Ferguson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. In a 2011 interview, she described her involvement with Epstein as a “gigantic error of judgement on my behalf”.
Princesses ‘to keep very low profile’
Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York (L) and Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York follow by car the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.
Photo: PAUL ELLIS / AFP
Even with their parents’ disgrace hanging over them, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie continued attending royal occasions in recent years.
It has always been said that the sisters are close to their cousins, Prince William and Prince Harry. But while Rieden said King Charles would continue to protect his nieces, their public presence would likely shrink.
“I’m sure it’s very difficult for them at the moment, and I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” Rieden said.
“Both of them are going to keep a very low profile now, which is a shame because they have not done anything wrong.
“I think they could have played a slightly bigger role within the larger royal family, but they’re not working members of the family; they do not get money from the public purse.”
Both sisters are married with children and have their own careers, as well as philanthropic endeavours.
Beatrice founded advisory firm BY-EQ, while Eugenie works as a director at the art gallery Hauser & Wirth in Mayfair.
Privately, Beatrice has remained in contact with her parents, Rieden said, though some reports suggest Eugenie has distanced herself from her father.
“At the end of the day, this is a family,” Rieden said.
“But I imagine Beatrice and Eugenie would be very embarrassed reading the emails in the Epstein files. And I think that’s probably going to take a lot to work through as a family together.”
Meanwhile, Rieden said it would be clear that Mountbatten-Windsor was not to be seen with the rest of the royal family as King Charles drew a clearer line between him and his brother.
Still, she said King Charles would be providing some financial support to his brother through his private income.
“That’s long been the case, and his time at Royal Lodge – with its symbolic peppercorn rent – marked the last vestige of his former privileges. The king will pick up the tab for his lodgings at the Sandringham private estate, but he’s not actually in those lodgings yet; they’re still being readied.
“It’ll be like a sort of open prison for Andrew, with his every move to be photographed and monitored.”
– ABC