Beatrice and Eugenie Overwhelmed by Andrew's Epstein Scandal

Princess Eugenie wears a bright red dress and a black ribbon on her head, while her sister Princess Beatrice wears a black and white patterned dress with a white hat featuring a black bow

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Following the release of additional Jeffrey Epstein files, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been forced to face the ways in which their parents were involved with the disgraced financier. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson have already been evicted from Royal Lodge and relinquished their official royal titles. However, their daughters have reportedly been left feeling "overwhelmed" by the very public fallout.

As royal author Robert Jobson told Hello! magazine, "They must be overwhelmed and aghast by this." He continued, "What was [Sarah Ferguson] thinking? Taking her daughters—the late Queen's granddaughters—to meet this vile convicted criminal [Jeffrey Epstein]? It really beggars belief."

According to the outlet, sources close to the situation shared that "the crisis is taking its toll on the princesses, and on the family unit they once held so dear."

Princess Beatrice of York, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Princess Eugenie of York attend The Anti Slavery Collective's inaugural Winter Gala at Battersea Arts Centre on November 29, 2023 in London, England. — "They must be overwhelmed and aghast by this."

In spite of the very public "humiliation" Beatrice and Eugenie have experienced, they are apparently reluctant to cut off their parents altogether.

"The sisters are not abandoning their father," one source told Hello! magazine. "They aren't turning their backs on him. But everything is obviously very strained and hard."

As for Ferguson, royal expert Jobson claimed, "She is in a bad way and feeling very guilty." He continued, "The last time I was in touch with her, she was worried about her mental health and mulling over the 'what ifs.'"

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie walking to church in coats with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — "The crisis is taking its toll on the princesses, and on the family unit they once held so dear."

As a source told the publication, "The girls have been very sympathetic to [Ferguson], but that might start to unravel. You have to wonder if they will ever be seen in public with her again."

For now, Beatrice and Eugenie are likely dealing with the latest batch of Epstein revelations involving their parents. As for what will happen to Andrew and Sarah in the future remains to be seen.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.