Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are "bitterly disappointed" after being "banned from attending Royal Ascot" this summer, over their parents' links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The pair have been told they will not be joining the royals in their box at the horse racing event scheduled for June.
The sisters have been regulars each summer, being photographed with their royal cousins at the famous Berkshire racecourse.
But this year, the siblings have been snubbed, with a source telling the Daily Mail: "I've spoken to my friend who works at Ascot, and they said the girls have been told they can't be there this year.
The sisters are understood to be 'bitterly disappointed' | PATRENDING
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"Beatrice has taken it the hardest. She's been completely blindsided by all of this."
A separate source explained "Ascot is out of the question" for the princesses this year.
"The royals have been told they can't be photographed with the girls for the rest of the year," they said.
Both have been "left drained", according to friends, amid the ongoing connections between their parents and the late paedophile Epstein.
The sisters are understood to be 'drained'
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Prince William is said to have advised other royals not to appear in photographs with the pair "for the rest of the year".
The sisters have been rarely seen since their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested.
Beatrice was spotted for the first time with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, as the pair took a stroll through London.
The royal was dressed casually and clutching a takeaway coffee as she walked with the property developer and two companions, curator Carrie Scott and her partner Nick Lazarus.
The sisters have been rarely seen since their father's arrest
| PAThe last previous public sighting of the princess dates back to late January at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Eugenie was pictured in Central London in late February, appearing at ease despite the turmoil surrounding her family following her father's arrest.
The princess was seen carrying refreshments from Joe & The Juice.
This sighting followed an earlier appearance, when Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, were captured on camera collecting coffee together in Notting Hill.
One source said 'Ascot is out of the question' for the princesses this year
| GETTYAccording to a source who spoke to People about the February 24 outing: "She was chatting away with someone she knows and seemed very relaxed. It was all very casual."
The source further noted her cheerful disposition, adding: "She was laughing and joking.
"She looked happy and at ease, not like someone trying to hide."
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