Why Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Can Still “Hold Their Heads High” in Spite of Their Parents’ Scandal, According to a Royal Photographer Who Has Known Them for Years

Scandal has continued to envelope Prince Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, of late, with both relinquishing their royal titles in the wake of new revelations about their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

In a new essay for The Sun, royal photographer Arthur Edwards defended the pair's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, explaining why the young royals don't deserve to be penalized for the sins of their parents.

"While their parents may have been brought down by scandal, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie can hold their heads high," he wrote. "The girls are wonderful assets to the Royal Family and neither of them has ever put a foot wrong."

In the piece, Edwards, who has known Beatrice and Eugenie for years, highlighted examples from his own experiences personally observing and interacting with the sisters to illustrate the ways in which their strength of character far outshines that of their disgraced parents.

"They share a natural warmth and sense of duty," Edwards wrote, adding that, while Prince Andrew has always struggled with arrogance, "there’s not a sniff of pomposity about" his daughters.

Edwards shared a touching story about the way Princess Eugenie touched his family when she drew on her own experience undergoing an operation for scoliosis at age 12 to counsel his granddaughter, who was facing the same diagnosis.

"When my granddaughter went through the same surgery in 2013, I asked Eugenie if she would meet her to offer some advice," Edwards wrote.
The Princess didn’t ­hesitate and she told her: 'You’ve got to wear your scar with pride.'"

Eugenie went a step beyond simply offering advice, however, and reminded Edwards' granddaughter of her support with a kind gesture the day of her surgery.

"When my granddaughter went into hospital, the room was filled with balloons from Eugenie," he wrote.

As for Beatrice, Edwards praised her innate kindness, describing her as a "very empathetic young woman" and sharing a story about a time when he witnessed her overwhelming empathy for a friend was on full display.

"I once bumped into her at Clarence House after she’d had tea with a friend," Edwards wrote. "After listening to her pal’s troubles she was in tears herself."

Edwards stressed that the "sins of the father are not the sins of the child" and pointed out that his feelings about Beatrice and Eugenie are shared by senior members of the royal family, who have shown no signs that they plan to let Andrew's removal from royal life impact his daughters and their place in The Firm.

"There is a lot of love for the sisters inside the Royal Family," Edwards insisted, pointing out that they will still be invited to Christmases at Sandringham and other family events that Andrew is said to no longer be welcome at. "They are not out in the cold."

In fact, the royal photographer thinks the King should consider taking things a step further and increase the sisters' roles in the royal family going forward.

"As the King scales back his own engagements, I hope he will ­consider giving the sisters more to do," he wrote. "With their sense of duty and honour, they would be only too pleased to do it."