With the intense fallout that has come about ever since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson's ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have become public, few people have been more affected than their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
While the pair still have their royal titles thanks to rules that date back to 1917, it has been suggested that their uncle, King Charles, hopes they will take on a few more royal duties in the future. “It was something that was being looked at before recent events but despite what has happened with Andrew, it’s not off the cards,” a royal source told Tatler. “Whatever people might think of Andrew, the girls are kind, hardworking and want to help if they can.”
Both Beatrice and Eugenie are not working members of the Royal Family and currently balance their own careers with motherhood and personal charity work.
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According to sources close to the King, Tatler reports that “the monarch is fond of his nieces and doesn’t want them to suffer because of their father’s downfall.”
“There was no deal struck about the future for Beatrice and Eugenie, they are private individuals in that respect, but there have been talks for some time about using them when and if there is a need. For their part, they have let it be known that they are more than willing to do public duties if and when they can to support the King.”
The source added that King Charles is “testing the water” to see how well his nieces are received by the public. In the past, the princesses have attended royal garden parties as ambassadors for the family and other overseas events. They also represent charities of their own - Princess Beatrice is a keen supporter of dyslexia charities and Princess Eugenie makes frequent visits to spinal injury charities after her own experience with scolosis.
According to a source close to the princesses, Beatrice and Eugenie "recognize there is a responsibility to support their uncle and they want to support him.”
Reports come after Princess Eugenie's role as a mentor for the King's Foundation took the next step when she joined a mentoring reception for under-35-year-olds in London. A source at the reception said: “She was so excited to be there and seemed very proud to have been asked."
Afterwards, Eugenie said in a statement: “It was fantastic to spend more time with the 35 under 35, who are such an incredible group of talented young people. I have enjoyed getting to know them better and hearing about their work and aspirations, and look forward to supporting their journeys into the future. My career has been shaped by a passion for the arts, so it’s a pleasure to be working with The King’s Foundation to support this inspirational group of artists and creatives.”
It has also been an exciting few weeks for Princess Beatrice as she was announced as the new Deputy Patron of The Outward Bound Trust. She is joining her uncle, Prince Edward, who has been made the new Patron - a role that once belonged to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.