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The current strain surrounding Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s relationship with their parents has come into sharper focus amid renewed controversy.
The sisters have largely stayed out of the public eye as further allegations and revelations continue to surface regarding their parents’ connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The situation has reportedly been deeply embarrassing for the siblings. Newly disclosed emails suggest that Sarah Ferguson once travelled to the United States with her daughters to have lunch with Epstein shortly after his release from prison following a conviction for soliciting sex from a minor. Another reported email allegedly contained a crude remark referencing Eugenie’s private life, further intensifying the controversy.
An email reportedly sent in 2010 is also said to include a marriage plea, written just nine months after Jeffrey Epstein’s release from prison. In the message, Sarah Ferguson allegedly wrote: “You are a legend. I really don’t have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness. Xx I am at your service. Just marry me.”
There have since been mixed reports about how Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are privately coping with the renewed controversy. However, a family friend has now denied suggestions that Eugenie, 35 — who co-founded the charity The Anti-Slavery Collective — has cut ties with her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Speaking to HELLO!, the friend said: “The sisters are not abandoning their father. They aren’t turning their backs on him. But everything is obviously very strained and hard.”
As for Sarah Ferguson — who is reportedly keeping a low profile while staying at a spa abroad — a source suggested that while her daughters have so far remained supportive, tensions could still deepen. The insider claimed: “The girls have been very sympathetic to her, but that might start to unravel. You have to wonder if they will ever be seen in public with her again.”
According to the Daily Mail, another particularly difficult aspect for Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice has reportedly been learning more about their mother’s financial dealings. A source told the newspaper: “That she blatantly lied to them – unlike their father, who made no secret of his past friendship with Epstein – has really caused family ructions and helps explain why Sarah has gone to ground.” The source added: “There are a lot of questions she has to answer about her own behaviour and what exactly she knew about Andrew’s past with Epstein and Maxwell.”
The comments come after Eugenie was seen publicly for the first time since her parents became embroiled in controversy following the latest release of files connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Eugenie, who works as a director for the art gallery Hauser & Wirth, was photographed attending a contemporary art fair in Doha on Monday.
She appeared in an Instagram photo shared by her friend, German influencer Caroline Daur, who wrapped an arm around Eugenie as they posed together in front of an artwork. Caroline captioned the post by saying it had “been too long” since they last saw each other.
The photograph of Princess Eugenie at the Doha art fair emerged just hours after her cousin Prince William and her uncle King Charles III released rare public statements expressing “concern” over the mounting controversy surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The King later made an unusual intervention, stating he would cooperate with police inquiries connected to the widening scandal involving his brother.
Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson’s exact location remains unclear, though reports suggest she may have travelled abroad. Royal author Andrew Lownie, who previously wrote a critical biography of the York family, told the Mirror that Ferguson has a “habit” of leaving the country when public pressure intensifies. Potential destinations mentioned include a favourite spa retreat in Thailand, the Caribbean island of Mustique and Switzerland.
Speculation that Sarah might have been staying on Necker Island — owned by Richard Branson — was later firmly denied by Branson’s representatives.
Recent reports have suggested that Sarah Ferguson hopes to remain in Windsor long term. However, with her estimated net worth reported at around £752,000, she may struggle to afford property in the area, where even modest terraced homes are said to sell for more than £800,000 — far from the type of residence she has previously occupied.
Earlier speculation suggested she could temporarily move in with one of her daughters, though it remains uncertain whether that option is still available in light of the latest controversy.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, who has known Ferguson for many years, told the press last week: “Sarah has always been in many ways quite a likeable person, and I hesitate to criticise another mother’s parenting, but I do ask what kind of mother would take her daughters, then aged 19 and 20, to Miami to have lunch with a convicted paedophile. A man who had come out of jail for that very crime only five days earlier.”
She continued: “It is beyond comprehension to me, and then she wrote to Epstein and joked about her younger daughter’s love life. Why would you do that? I think that’s deeply, deeply insensitive. So I think Sarah is not only going to have to question her reputation and the damage done to that, but the damage done to the relationship with her daughters as well.”
