King Charles "Feels Responsible For" Beatrice and Eugenie Amid Andrew Scandal—And Is Sending "A Very Strong Signal" About Their Futures
"They’re actually part of the Royal Family, and they can do their bit, which I think is important to them."
As scandals continue to engulf Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, remain in the unusual position of keeping their HRH styles while their father—said to be Queen Elizabeth’s favorite child—lost his titles, home and public role. Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, don't hold official royal roles, but in the past week, the sisters have been seen supporting various charities, including The King's Foundation—a move that one royal expert is calling a clear sign that King Charles is "looking after" his nieces.
Speaking about Eugenie's appearance as a mentor for The King's Foundation "35 Under 35" Network and Princess Beatrice being appointed as deputy patron of Outward Bound, Majesty magazine editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward told the Sun that The King "is determined to embrace his nieces."
She added that the monarch seems to want to "bring them into the royal fold in a way where they don’t feel they’re just being gratuitously pulled in, but they’re actually doing something for it."
Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice are seen with The King and Queen at Royal Ascot.
Princess Eugenie is seen mentoring entrepreneurs at a recent King's Foundation event.
While Eugenie and Beatrice continue to attend events to support their uncle—like Royal Ascot and Buckingham Palace garden parties—they no longer join the larger family on the Trooping the Colour balcony as they once did under Queen Elizabeth's reign.
However, with Princess Eugenie's role as a King's Foundation mentor, and Princess Beatrice's new patronage with Outward Bound, it's possible the sisters could take on more duties in a non-working royal capacity. It's a move that Seward said displays "the very kind side of The King."
"I think that Charles feels quite responsible for these two girls, because it’s been a hideous time for them. Really hideous," she added. Both Beatrice and Eugenie are moms of two, and Seward said that their parents' scandals have "been very, very difficult" for their young families.
Princess Beatrice is seen at the Make-a-Wish U.K. Art of Wishes gala on October 13.
The late Queen and King Charles (then the Prince of Wales) are pictured with Eugenie and Beatrice during a 2010 family holiday in Scotland.
Taking on some responsibilities in the family is a way for The King "to embrace them and give them something that they can actually do, so they don’t feel that they’re just they’re lucky if they go there for Christmas lunch, sort of thing," the royal expert continued.
"They’re actually part of the royal family, and they can do their bit, which I think is important to them," Seward said. She added that Eugenie's appearance last week was a "very strong signal" from King Charles about his nieces' futures, noting, "the sins of the father are not reflected on the children."
