In a significant shift in mood at Buckingham Palace, the King appears to have concluded that the sisters must, like their parents, be kept away from royal public occasions. Until now, Charles\u2019s position had been that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor\u2019s<\/a> daughters were blameless and deserved to have their privileges protected. But after a series of damaging revelations linking them, however peripherally, to Epstein, royal aides have quietly withdrawn their support.<\/p>\n The first test comes at Easter. When the Royal Family<\/a> gathers at Windsor on Easter Sunday, the royal equivalent of Kremlinologists will be watching to see if Beatrice and Eugenie are in the party.<\/p>\n New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n Both have been fairly regular attendees at the service at St George\u2019s Chapel \u2013 but this year they will not be staying with their disgraced parents at nearby Royal Lodge, which Andrew and Sarah Ferguson<\/a> have been forced to vacate, and it seems unlikely they will show their faces in front of the cameras.<\/p>\n Beyond Easter, it has been reported that both sisters face not being part of the royal party at Ascot in June \u2013 a prospect that sent shockwaves when it first emerged at the weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t really know what to do,\u201d says royal biographer Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. \u201cIf they are sensible they will lie low.\u201d<\/p>\n Their father was stripped of his titles and honours last October after it emerged in the Epstein files<\/a> that he had remained friends with the convicted paedophile for longer than he had claimed.<\/p>\n In one email released by the Department of Justice, Mountbatten-Windsor told Epstein they were \u201cin this together\u201d and would \u201cplay some more soon\u201d.<\/p>\n Further revelations followed<\/a>, including that Beatrice and Eugenie had met Epstein in the US alongside their mother in July 2009 after his release from prison for sex offences.<\/p>\n Buckingham Palace has declined to discuss the two princesses.<\/p>\n William won\u2019t challenge Charles<\/p>\n Prince William<\/a> is said to be \u201cin lockstep\u201d with his father over the fallout from Andrew\u2019s friendship with Epstein.<\/p>\n In previous years, William has invited Beatrice and Eugenie, along with other cousins such as Zara and Mike Tindall, to help him and Catherine host a garden party at Buckingham Palace. While this hasn\u2019t been formally ruled out, the Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to take direction from the King on what to do about Beatrice and Eugenie, meaning an appearance is unlikely.<\/p>\n Russell Myers, author of a new biography of the Prince and Princess of Wales, said the King was firmly in charge of the response to the crisis, and that William \u2013 having watched the chaos caused by Harry and Meghan<\/a> going against the family hierarchy \u2013 would not act against his father\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can\u2019t be seen to be acting out of turn against the King,\u201d Myers said, and there is no indication that he wants to.<\/p>\n Some friends of the royals believe Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, would in any case be a distraction at public events such as Royal Ascot<\/a>. \u201cThey might attend the races among the crowd but they can\u2019t be seen in the royal carriage procession with all this going on,\u201d one source said.<\/p>\n The i Paper has revealed how, after their mother Sarah Ferguson\u2019s US business, Hartmoor, collapsed in late 2009, Epstein brokered a deal between her and American businessman Keith Frankel to set up a new venture. During discussions, the idea was floated that her daughters, then aged 21 and 19, might be given shares in place of their mother.<\/p>\n In the end the deal collapsed, and there is no suggestion the sisters knew their names might be used.<\/p>\n The fall of the House of York<\/p>\n Beatrice and Eugenie, who both have private careers and do not represent the monarchy on the national or world stage, are already keeping a low profile. <\/p>\n They are not expected to join the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on 9 March, nor at Trooping the Colour in June \u2013 though their absence from those events is less surprising, as the King has long tended to restrict attendance to working members of the family.<\/p>\n \t\tYour next read<\/p>\n![\"Britain's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_283393084.jpg\")
Prince William is said to be in \u2018lockstep\u2019 with his father\u2019s response to the fallout from the Espetin files (Photo: John Stillwell\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"Britain's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_271076441-e1772636026584.jpg\")
Beatrice and Eugenie are reportedly suffering the effect of their parents\u2019 association with Jeffrey Epstein (Photo: Chris Jackson\/AFP)<\/p>\n
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