Prince Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York are facing the fallout from their father’s scandals, according to experts.
Last Friday, Andrew, 55, announced that he was giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honors following renewed public scrutiny of his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and explosive new allegations made by the prince’s late accuser Virginia Giuffre in her posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice.“
Andrew is also being investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police due to newly leaked emails that show the royal allegedly asked his personal protection officer to seek out potentially damaging information about Giuffre.
PRINCE ANDREW GIVES UP ROYAL TITLE WITH KING CHARLES’ SUPPORT
Meanwhile, Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with whom he shares Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, has been embroiled in controversies of her own after a leaked email emerged in which she praised Epstein after publicly denouncing their friendship, leading several U.K. charities to sever ties with her.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that Beatrice and Eugenie should increasingly try to define themselves outside the scandals, which have created reputational risk and public scrutiny issues for them.
“The challenge for Beatrice and Eugenie in this close-knit family is to carve separate roles from their disgraced parents,” he said. “They are well-adjusted and have careers as well as doing charitable work. However, the York’s brand is truly toxic.”
Fitzwilliams also pointed out that the “scandal is likely to worsen” with the publication of Giuffre’s memoir, which was released Tuesday.
“This will not be easy!” Fitzwilliams added.
Royal commentator Amanda Matta noted that Beatrice and Eugenie are viewed by many in a sympathetic light as they have been impacted solely by association through no fault of their own.
“Beatrice and Eugenie are being described by friends as ‘innocent victims’ and ‘collateral damage’ in their father’s ongoing fallout,” Matta said. “But they are aware enough of the weight of the scandal to lie low for now.”
“They even skipped the British Museum Pink Ball this weekend in connection with their father’s controversies,” she continued. “Their father’s own distancing from royal duties and titles affects perceptions of the entire family. That can influence how charities, brands, or public institutions want to engage Beatrice and Eugenie, even if they themselves have behaved impeccably.”
“They do support their father, and have never wavered from that,” she added. “Sources suggest Andrew has become increasingly dependent on his daughters for emotional support amid his reputational decline. That dynamic must be placing additional pressure on Beatrice and Eugenie in both their personal and professional lives.”
As Beatrice and Eugenie are not working royals, they both have pursued independent professional careers in the private sector outside the core duties of the monarchy.
Beatrice is currently a Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy at Afiniti, a U.S.–based artificial intelligence (AI) company that specializes in optimizing customer interactions.
She is married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 41, a property developer and CEO of the real-estate firm Banda Property. He is also a Count and a descendant of an Italian noble family. The couple share daughter Sienna Elizabeth, 4, and Beatrice is stepmother to Mozzi’s son from a previous relationship, Christopher Wolffe “Wolfie”, 9.
Eugenie is a director at Hauser & Wirth, an international contemporary art gallery in London. She is also co-founder of the Anti-Slavery Collective, a charity that works to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking.
In 2018, Eugenie married British businessman and brand ambassador James Brooksbank, 39, with whom she shares sons August Philip Hawke, 4, and Ernest George Ronnie, 2.
Beatrice and Eugenie’s children do not have royal titles and use their fathers’ surnames, reflecting their parents’ wishes to raise them largely outside formal royal life.
Though they are not working royals, both sisters were born princesses as the daughters of Andrew and the granddaughters of the late Queen Elizabeth II and hold the style “Her Royal Highness” by right of birth. Though Andrew and Sarah have lost their titles as the Duke and Duchess of York, Fox News Digital understands that Beatrice and Eugenie’s titles will be wholly unaffected.
Matta told Fox News Digital that Beatrice and Eugenie, as well as their parents, would not be excluded from royal family events despite the controversies.
“We likely will still see the former Yorks and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at royal family events in the future, but in a more private capacity,” she said. “With Sarah’s title no longer in use, though, her visibility at big royal events is unlikely — as is Andrew’s. I don’t foresee the pair doing the Christmas morning walk, for example, though they’ll likely still be invited to family functions behind closed doors.”
“The sisters are a different story, as their titles remain intact and their attendance at select royal functions has no reason to be in doubt,” the royal expert added. “They might still even greet the public during walkabouts for high-visibility occasions, family milestones, or key patronage events.”
“Beatrice and Eugenie will likely always retain their “Princess” status by birth, but their formal duties and proximity to the Crown could fade away in the future,” she added. “Essentially, in this case, they would move further from the ‘working royal’ sphere. But there’s just no way to know for sure how they’ll be affected, despite hopeful chatter that Prince William may tap them for official duties in the future.”
Eugenie and Beatrice are known to have friendly relationships with their cousin Prince William, who is heir to the throne, and his wife Kate Middleton, both 43. Matta noted that the alliance between the sisters and William appears to have become stronger in recent years.
“There have been some signs of a more focused alignment between William and his cousins, particularly Eugenie who reportedly shares his environmental interests,” she said. “They can be seen engaging warmly with the Waleses at official events, and even stepping in to represent the institution at garden parties. That said, it’s unlikely they’ll be working in the same ‘front-line’ capacity as Will and Kate anytime soon.”
“If Beatrice and Eugenie do aspire to take on larger royal roles or even maintain their current patronages, they will have to navigate the fallout from Andrew’s scandals more proactively going forward,” she explained. “I imagine they are going back to the drawing board on public life, choosing engagements carefully, strengthening their personal brands, and demonstrating their independence from their parents.”
Royal photographer Ian Pelham Turner noted that Beatrice and Eugenie are still viewed positively by the public and supported the royal family through King Charles III and Middleton’s battles with cancer over the past two years.
“Most commentators feel sorry for Beatrice and Eugene for they are two very well-behaved young ladies who really stepped in to engage with royal duties during Charles and Kate’s illnesses and convalescence,” Turner said. “They are both exemplary examples of how modern-day royals should behave in this day and age.”
“Thus, we have been informed that there will be no retribution towards them and apparently will still be invited for Christmas at Sandringham,” he added.
Though Beatrice and Eugenie will not be entirely unaffected by their parents’ scandals, royal experts have painted a bleaker picture for Andrew and Sarah.
In her bombshell book, Giuffre — who died by suicide at the age of 41 earlier this year — recalled the multiple sexual encounters she allegedly had with the disgraced royal when she was just 17.
She accused the prince of treating her as a “birthright,” described being trafficked for sex by Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and recounted an alleged group sex encounter and how she “believed that I might die a sex slave.”
In 2021, Giuffre filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Andrew, who has consistently denied her allegations. In her memoir, she recounted his alleged attempts to discredit and intimidate her as well as reinforce his statements that they had never met. Giuffre wrote that the royal’s team “went so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me” and claimed his protection officers attempted to “dig up dirt” on her.
On Oct. 19, The Mail on Sunday published leaked emails suggesting Andrew passed Giuffre’s date of birth and her Social Security number to his personal protection officer with instructions to investigate if she had a criminal record in the U.S. — a step that could be part of a smear-campaign strategy.
The leaked emails were reportedly sent hours before the 2011 release of a now-infamous photo showing Andrew with an underage Giuffre. In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police told the Guardian, “We are aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made.”
Sources also told the BBC that the recent claims about Andrew are being treated by Buckingham Palace with “very great concern and should be examined in the appropriate ways to the fullest extent.”
Andrew, who had already stepped down from his official royal duties following a disastrous 2019 BBC interview about his Epstein connection and Giuffre’s allegations, released a statement last Friday in which he announced that he had relinquished his royal title.
“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” a statement released by the royal, and obtained by Fox News Digital, read. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further,” the statement continued. “I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
However, royal commentators said that the move might not be enough amid the public outrage and the damage that Andrew’s controversies have inflicted on the royal family.
Turner noted “every day more insinuations are emerging about Andrew’s character” and politicians are calling for him to be stripped of all titles.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Matta weighed in on whether Charles was likely to take that step.
“In the end, I think it’s important to remember this is being framed as ‘voluntary,’ and none of Andrew’s titles have actually been removed, as that would require immense government involvement,” she pointed out.
“Even titles one doesn’t ‘use’ have cultural weight in the UK royal context. ‘Stripping’ them would send a crystal clear message about status, trust, and belonging — the acknowledgment that someone is no longer part of the inner institutional circle. That hasn’t happened, and in his Friday statement, Andrew still spoke of duty, family, and support for his brother, the King.”
Meanwhile, Ferguson was dropped as a patron and ambassador by several charities after leaked emails emerged that were allegedly sent to Epstein from the former Duchess of York.
According to the Daily Mail, Ferguson — who divorced Prince Andrew in 1996 — reached out to Epstein in 2011 after publicly denouncing their friendship during an interview with the Evening Standard.
During the interview, Fergusson expressed her “deep regret” and promised to “have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again,” three years after he had been imprisoned for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In an alleged email to Epstein following the interview, Ferguson referred to the disgraced sex offender as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.”
“I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that,” Ferguson allegedly wrote.
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Matta told Fox News Digital that Ferguson will likely move forward with her business and charitable pursuits, though she predicted it would be challenging for the former duchess.
“I’m sure Sarah will try to forge ahead with her ventures, and maybe even with new charitable patronages, but that will be an uphill battle,” Matta said.
“Her connection to the royal institution was the most notable and interesting thing about Sarah, and with the official connection now severed (whether willingly or not on her part), she loses a key part of her brand,” she added. “Without that institutional tie, she’ll need to work much harder to hold public interest organically.”
However, Fitzwilliams noted that Ferguson has proven resilient in the face of previous controversies.
In 1992, Ferguson was the subject of an explosive scandal when intimate photos taken of her were made public. The scandal resulted in major embarrassment to the royal family and effectively ended her official royal role.
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Additionally, Ferguson faced large personal debts after her divorce and was repeatedly criticized for poor money management and lavish spending.
However, Ferguson and Andrew maintained a friendly relationship after their divorce and continue to live together at Royal Lodge, which is owned by the royal family and located in Windsor Great Park, about three miles south of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. Ferguson has also continued to attend both public royal events and private family gatherings.
“Despite disgracing herself when a working royal with debts and bizarre personal behavior, Sarah Ferguson had a reputation as a lively figure who did do some charitable work and who bounced back from innumerable scrapes,” Fitzwilliams said.
However, Turner noted that Ferguson’s most recent controversy could prove to be a major setback.
“She is in the heat of this raging volcano with Andrew which is a shame for her because she was gradually being received again in royal circles, especially after her traumatic experiences and time overcoming cancer,” he said.
Despite the damage to the York brand and standing, Turner predicted that the family, who are known to be extremely close, would band together.
“I would imagine all three women will be very worried about the state of Andrew’s mental health right now and will rally around to support him,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives for Ferguson, Beatrice and Eugenie for comment.
