Prince William embraced Princess Beatrice with a kiss on the cheek at Peter Phillips' wedding yesterday, as she reunited with the Royal Family.
Saturday's romantic ceremony marked a return to royal action for Beatrice and Eugenie, who have been largely in the shadows since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February.
The sisters were greeted with literal open arms approaching All Saints Church in Kemble yesterday, as Zara Tindall excitedly leapt up to greet Beatrice. The cousins are said to share a very close bond.
Young Mia Tindall, dressed in a blue-and-white floral print dress with a headband, followed in her mum's footsteps when she was seen hugging Eugenie.
But the warm, royal embraces did not stop there.
As the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived to considerable cheers from local onlookers, William greeted Beatrice with an intimate kiss on the cheek.
Beatrice, who sported a mint green floral dress, held an umbrella aloft alongside her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, as the rain poured down on the Gloucestershire church but failed to dampen the mood.
The embrace is a sign, according to royal author Tom Sykes, that King Charles is "pulling power back".
Prince William embraced Princess Beatrice with a kiss on the cheek at Peter Phillips' wedding yesterday, as she reunited with the Royal Family
|GETTY
"This is what Charles wanted to see yesterday," he told the Daily Mail.
"William was making it clear that he is a loyal servant and will ultimately go along with what his father wants, per the military foundational structures of the Royal Family."
It comes against a controversial backdrop, mere hours after a National Audit Office report exposed the financial arrangements enjoyed by Beatrice and her sister, Princess Eugenie.
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Cameras spotted Zara reuniting with Beatrice and Eugenie, approaching her with open arms
| REUTERS
Mia Tindall, dressed in a blue-and-white floral print dress with a headband and clear umbrella, followed in her mum's footsteps when she was seen hugging Eugenie
| GETTYThe report revealed that neither Eugenie nor Beatrice had been paying rent on their St James's Palace and Kensington Palace royal properties.
Despite only being charged around 60 per cent of the market value for the residences, rent was paid from the King's Privy Purse, largely funded by the Duchy of Lancaster.
Both sisters carry out no official royal duties, maintain their own professional careers, and are married to wealthy husbands.
Additionally, it detailed how Mr Mountbatten-Windsor cashed in on the Royal Lodge estate by subletting three cottages while only paying peppercorn rent on the residence himself.
It emerged earlier today that, when he assumes the throne, William will ensure to crack down on subletting royal properties, and could stop non-working royals from living in rent-free accommodation.
Reviewing the use of official royal residences is understood to be a priority for William.
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