At this point, everyone is in agreement: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson must go. They must be forced out of Royal Lodge and sent to live somewhere secluded, never to be seen again. The question now appears to be “what happens with Princess Beatrice and Eugenie?” Reading all of the statements and reporting from the past two weeks, it’s clear that Andrew, for all of his many faults, has always placed his daughters’ positions, careers, security and titles as a high priority. I still believe that Andrew’s latest “title relinquishing” was done with the understanding that B&E’s titles were untouched and they were allowed to stay in their royal homes. But that understanding is looking squishy right now, as it appears that the knives are increasingly out for B&E. There have been several columns published about how Beatrice and Eugenie should be kicked out as well, or that they need to completely cut off their parents to survive. Now there’s a new suggestion tucked into a Daily Mail exclusive: they should willingly give up their titles too.
The York summit last week: As the scandal-ridden House of York continued to crumble this week, an ever-dutiful Princess Beatrice went to see her beleaguered parents. By all accounts the family ‘summit’ which took place at Royal Lodge in Windsor on Monday was a highly fraught affair. Prince Andrew, says a royal insider, hadn’t consulted or briefed either Beatrice, 37, or her 35-year-old sister Eugenie before ‘being bounced into agreeing a statement’ last week, renouncing the titles given to him by his mother, the late Queen.
Fergie’s meltdown: Amid chaotic scenes in the erstwhile York household, his distraught ex-wife Sarah Ferguson had apparently ‘gone into a meltdown’ when Andrew revealed she would be losing the ‘Duchess’ title which, for the past 39 years, had been such a cash cow for her and ‘was wailing that he shouldn’t do it’.
Eugenie wasn’t there: Princess Eugenie, meanwhile, who like her sister was blindsided by last week’s bombshell statement, did not even attend the crisis meeting at her parents’ lavish home. As the royal insider puts it: ‘The Royal Lodge “summit” wasn’t a happy occasion and the family, once a strong unit, is fractured.’
Beatrice is devastated: According to one source: ‘She was on the phone saying she couldn’t bring herself to look at the Sunday papers. She looked absolutely devastated.’ Indeed, over the past decade, amid a host of grim allegations against him, Beatrice has done her best to stand by her father. She is said to be the closest of both daughters to Andrew and played a key role in setting up his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview – believing that, given his constant denials of any wrongdoing, he had nothing to fear from telling the truth.
B&E caught up in Fergie’s mess too: The princesses have already found themselves caught up in their mother’s ongoing scandals – not least the revelation that, aged 19 and 20, they went with her to the US to visit paedophile billionaire Epstein following his release from prison in 2009.
What will happen with the princesses: Caught between a rock and a hard place, the princesses now appear to be facing a stark choice: should they flee the sinking York ship and safeguard their own reputations? Or stand by, in their darkest hour, the parents whose sins threaten to overshadow their lives? One royal expert told the Daily Mail this week that the sisters should consider going one step further and rescind their princess titles – even though they themselves have done nothing wrong.
Giving up their titles: According to Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of Sarah: The Life of A Duchess: ‘Giving up their titles would give them freedom from their parents, stop them being tarred with the same brush and be a clear sign that they want to make their own way in the world. I think people would hugely respect them for it and, I think, ultimately, they would be happier.’
Beatrice & Eugenie are entitled: ‘They were brought up to be entitled, to believe that blue blood matters,’ says a royal insider who spoke to the Daily Mail this week. ‘And they expected to live life in that gilded cage for ever. Gifts from the rich and powerful were taken for granted, as was the offer of free holidays. Money just seemed to be plentiful even when Andrew was only earning a £17k salary in the Navy.’
B&E’s ethics check?? According to the insider who spoke to the Daily Mail this week: ‘Royal officials are pushing for the princesses’ own investments to be subject to an “ethics check” to ensure nothing can be linked back to their father’s less salubrious contacts and thus avoid a future scandal.’
If I was in Bea & Eugenie’s position and someone suggested that my investments go through the Windsors’ “ethics check,” I would tell the king to shove his ethics check where the sun don’t shine. The absolute audacity of people associated with King Fortnum-Bags-Full-of-Cash suggesting that his nieces are the ones who need an ethics advisor! The York princesses weren’t the ones handing out knighthoods like candy to anyone writing a seven-figure check! Now, of course Beatrice and Eugenie have shady contacts and get money from mysterious places. ALL of the royals do the same. They had to change the gifting rules because Camilla kept receiving priceless jewels from petrobillionaires in Arab states.
As for Bea & Eugenie potentially voluntarily giving up their titles… the thing is, I’m not sure Charles even wants that? Does William? Is Huevo the one behind this? I don’t know. But sure, the Yorks should all give up their titles, why not. All of the royals should.
Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red, Fergie’s social media.
