The York family might be keeping their public distance from each other for now, an expert has claimed, after Fergie was revealed to be hiding out in Austria
Sarah and Andrew with their daughters in happier times, before the Epstein scandal unfolded(Image: Instagram)
Holed up in Norfolk, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has not had many visitors recently, but that could change in the future a royal expert has claimed. With Sarah Ferguson revealed to have been hiding out in a lavish ski chalet in Austria, reported to cost £2,000 a night to stay in, the ‘happiest divorced couple in the world’ have gone their separate ways amid the controversy of the Epstein scandal.
For many years after their salacious divorce in the 1990s, Andrew and Fergie, both 66, remained very close, even sharing the mansion of Royal Lodge. Both said to be incredibly close to their daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 36, distance has appeared in the tight-knit family as they find themselves under intense scrutiny. The release of the Epstein files by the US Congress saw millions of documents made available to the public, from correspondence to flight logs.
Beatrice and Eugenie have been keeping a low-profile following the release of the Epstein files(Image: Getty Images for The Ned London)
Andrew and Sarah’s names appeared in the files many times and there were also mentions of their daughters, there is no suggestion of wrongdoing. From crude references to Eugenie’s “shagging weekend” in a message that appears to have been sent by Fergie, to a request from Epstein that “one of your daughters” show somebody round Buckingham Palace, and documents that indicate the York sisters also appear to have visited the sex offender with their mother shortly after his release from prison – the sisters were thrust into an unwelcome spotlight.
Expert Duncan Larcombe, author of ‘Prince Harry: The Inside Story,’ and former Royal Editor of The Sun, tells the Mirror that in his opinion, whilst the family might remain apart publicly for now, the strength of their bond means that this isn’t final doors for the family of four. “I think they’re a close-knit family and ultimately family is stronger than anything else, so I don’t personally, from my experience of dealing with them all, the Yorks, I don’t think that they’ll exorcise their parents because of the media. They’re trying to keep their distance at this time because they don’t want to be associated with it, frankly.”
He claims that he doubts Fergie will be staying away from Andrew forever either, saying: “My personal hunch is that it’s a public relations move. I don’t think she’s any nearer ditching Andrew than she ever was and her links to Epstein might have been different from Andrew’s, but they were still strong and so in In other words, it would be pretty… hypocritical if she just said ‘oh how dare you be friends with a man like that’ when clearly she’s been a friend of the man like that.”
Sarah and Andrew featured heavily in the latest batch of Epstein files(Image: Getty Images)
The royal expert claims that the desire of Beatrice and Eugenie to stay away is in his view an entirely reasonable one, and that the mentions of the sisters in the Epstein Files don’t amount to much. “They’re fairly innocent. They weren’t freeloading off Jeffrey Epstein and they certainly weren’t travelling to the island with Jeffrey Epstein and their father. So I think they’re very unfortunate victims to be caught up in it all, to be honest – you go along with your parents, if they’re friends with somebody, I really don’t think much blame can be laid at their door.”
Beatrice and Eugenie have been keeping a relatively low profile, and skipped out on spending Easter with their royal relatives. Beatrice was spotted enjoying a low-key dinner with her husband Edoardo Mapelli-Mozzi in West London in March, after the rumour mill began to churn that their marriage was on the rocks. A source who knows the couple laughed off the gossip, telling us, the speculation about the state of their relationship was “nonsense”.
When it came to spending Easter away from the spotlight that comes with the House of Windsor, a source close to Beatrice and Edo said to the Mirror “they are spending Easter with Edo’s family which has been planned for a long time” adding that amid the ongoing scrutiny the husband and wife are “are just getting on with their lives as much as they can”.
Duncan Larcombe tells the Mirror “I can’t imagine how horrible it would be for Beatrice and Eugenie. Both their parents, embroiled in this scandal, which is a scandal that seems to have no end. You know, it’s just rumbling on and on. I actually feel really quite sorry for them. I think what can they do? What can they say? And you know they’ve done their best to be part of the Royal Family, they haven’t rebelled against it like certain members of the family and in many ways they’re hung out to dry.”
Russell Myers, the Mirror’s royal editor has warned: “The fallout has also had a devastating effect on their daughters. While there is no suggestion either Beatrice or Eugenie is guilty of any wrongdoing – their very mention in the Epstein files is an uncomfortable truth for the King and his family.”
After Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, Beatrice in particular has struggled to come to terms with the accusations levied against him – which he has repeatedly and strenuously denied. Grappling with “the enormity of her father’s alleged crimes. It is an incredibly painful process,” a source told the Royalist. “She is horrified by what has been revealed about her father, as any child would be, and of course her absolute sympathy is with the victims.”
Another source told Hello that whilst both sisters do not consider themselves to be victims in the scandal, “Bea has found the scrutiny very hard, especially the strain of the past few weeks. It has felt as though things have been in freefall, and she’s being hammered and bullied by commentators.” The source continued, “people forget about the human element of what they’ve been going through, too”.