Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have shown signs of ‘solidarity’ with King Charles and Prince William since Prince Harry‘s move to the US, a royal expert has claimed.
The York sisters appear to have become a beacon of strength amid testing times for the Firm, including Charles and the Princess of Wales‘s bouts of ill health.
Beatrice, 35, and Eugenie, 34, have aligned themselves with the needs of Charles and William following the rift between the Sussex and Wales families.
The pair have stepped up to appear in the limelight during public engagements and appearances, including William’s first Garden Party of 2024 without Kate by his side amid her cancer treatment.
Leading royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams explained that the sister’s presence at the event was ‘unquestionably a show of solidarity with the heir to the throne who is currently not on speaking terms with his errant brother’.
Despite Princess Eugenie having close ties with Prince Harry, the royal has shown loyalty to Prince William and King Charles in recent times (pictured: Eugenie and Harry in May, 2023)
Eugenie has continued to demonstrate her dedication to the Firm, despite her bond with Harry as one of his favoured cousins.
It is a declaration of loyalty that her sister, 35-year-old Princess Beatrice, has also followed, with her repeatedly supporting William and Charles in recent times.
Richard explained: ‘It is perfectly possible to be involved in a deep public family rift and be on amiable terms with all involved.
‘Princess Eugenie, who with her husband Jack Brooksbank is mainly based in the Algarve, had Harry and Meghan as visitors.
‘They’ve got on over the years, and she and her husband Jack Brooksbank were resident for a period at Frogmore Cottage whilst the Sussexes were in California before they were evicted.
‘We know that Beatrice and Eugenie are close, and that the Yorks are a close-knit family.’
The royal expert continued: ‘In May, the sisters appeared at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party when William represented King Charles, who is fighting cancer.
‘This was unquestionably a show of solidarity with the heir to the throne who is currently not on speaking terms with his errant brother.
Princess Beatrice, 35, has shown her loyalty to the Firm with her presence at royal events, including the Sovereign’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May (pictured)
Beatrice, who is married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was seen in high spirits with William at Royal Ascot 2024
Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are pictured in Westminster Abbey during the Coronation of King Charles III in May, 2023
‘She posted on Instagram that she was “delighted to support my family”, these are very meaningful words at the moment.’
‘Also at Royal Ascot, a magnificent event, Eugenie, who had been in the royal procession, was seen laughing and joking with William, Richard added.
He continued: ‘With Catherine battling cancer, as she described so movingly in a statement released just before Trooping the Colour, they know it is a very difficult time indeed for the royal family.’
‘Harry’s last visit and the public confusion when he and his father did not meet, showed the depth of the rift.
‘It would be of benefit to all if it were resolved, but until that happens Beatrice and Eugenie, who conceivably could act as go-betweens, are undoubtedly supporting William and are likely to give him their full backing if there are further attacks by the Sussexes on the royal family.’
Prince Andrew’s youngest daughter is known to be a favoured cousin of Prince Harry, appearing in his bombshell Netflix documentary at the end of 2022, which heightened tensions between himself and the rest of the family.
In September last year, it was speculated whether the Duke of Sussex travelled to Portugal to visit Eugenie, who resides in the Algarve.
Reports at the time suggested that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have taken a detour to see Eugenie and her husband on their way home from the Invictus Games after they were spotted in a luxury Portuguese resort where Harry’s cousin is known to spend her time.
Following a week in Dusseldorf, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a ‘lightning romantic escape’ to the village of Melides in the Alentejo region of Portugal – where Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank have a home.
Beatrice and Eugenie later put on a show of support for William in May as they attended his garden party.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared previously unseen photographs as they partied with Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank on Halloween in their Netflix documentary
In another snap from the big night out, Meghan could be seen posing for a playful selfie with Princess Eugenie
In one snap, Meghan and Harry could be seen crowding in for a photograph with Eugenie (pictured)
Led by the Prince of Wales, making his first appearance at Buckingham Palace this summer, the glamorous party also included his cousins Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall – accompanied by her husband, Mike – and Peter Philips.
Last month, Eugenie attended Royal Ascot with her sister Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall and, tellingly, Prince William and the Middletons.
Princess Eugenie was also seen deep in conversation with Carole Middleton before the races got underway.
It comes after a royal insider claimed Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall ‘want to support Prince William and King Charles‘ unique circumstances’ and are ‘closer than most cousins’.
The King’s nieces stepped up to help host a garden party at Buckingham Palace with the Prince of Wales – amid the monarch and Princess of Wales‘ cancer treatments.
Zara, 43, Beatrice, 35, and Eugenie, 34, appeared in high spirits for the event and co-ordinated in matching pink-and-white dresses.
Speaking to Hello!, a royal insider commented on the royal women’s bond and why they wanted to help William with the event.
The source said: ‘They are closer than lots of cousins might be – they have that unique shared experience and unusual life they all lead.
‘This is an institution that they all belong to, perhaps in slightly different ways in terms of how they serve it, but they all believe in it and its future and want to do what they can to support it.’
According to the publication, Zara, Beatrice and Eugenie were asked to help at the garden party because of the ‘unique circumstances’ the Prince and Princess of Wales are facing.
Eugenie and Beatrice – who have also grappled with health issues in the family after their mother Sarah Ferguson was diagnosed with breast cancer, and only shortly later, skin cancer – have stepped up amid difficult times for family members.
They have been championing their own causes as well as being on hand to accompany family members during a tumultuous time.
In March, Eugenie, channelled the Princess of Wales – known for her work with young people – as she read to school children while promoting Camilla’s late brother’s elephant conservation charity.
She chatted to the children from Garden House School at Elephant Family’s Little Egg Hunt in Sloane Square, London. Wildlife conservation charity Elephant Family was established in 2003 by Her Majesty’s late brother Mark Shand.
Calling Mark ‘a dear friend’ the royal, said she got involved in the event because the charity is close to her family’s heart.
Princess Eugenie was also seen deep in conversation with Carole Middleton before the races got underway (pictured)
The pair – who have also grappled with health issues in the family after their mother Sarah Ferguson was diagnosed with breast cancer, and only shortly later, skin cancer – appear to be a beacon of strength amid difficult times for the Firm. Pictured in November
In a subtle nod of support to the Queen, Eugenie said: ‘It was so important to be here because I have worked with the Elephant Family for so many years now and they are a charity so close to my heart, close to my family’s heart.
‘Mark Shand who started the charity was a dear friend and what they are in doing in saving elephants and making people aware about what’s going on is so important for the world to know.
‘The Legacy that they have created and the excitement around egg hunts or bamboo elephants in Hyde Park, it brings elephants to London which I have never seen before, so bridging that gap with what happens in the wild, which you might not see every day, can actually come to a city so we can learn about what goes on.’
And Beatrice has also appeared to show support for the Princess of Wales as she appeared at an event to mark Student Mental Health Week where she spoke on a panel about young people’s wellbeing – championing a cause that many will associate with Kate.
The King’s niece joined forces with US-based company Chegg to take part in the event in the capital.
She appeared at the event run by Chegg, a company based in Silicon Valley, in conjunction with UK charities Student Minds, the Mental Health Foundation and Big Change.