Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s growing public roles may be put on hold after their mother, Sarah Ferguson, was dropped by seven charities over her links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duchess of York is facing renewed scrutiny after the emergence of a 2011 email to Epstein in which she called him her "supreme friend" and wrote that she wanted to "humbly apologise" for publicly rejecting him, knowing he would "feel hellaciously let down."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: "This will be a deeply painful period for the sisters as their parents are both likely to languish in public disgrace and foreseeably so.
"The Yorks have always been a close-knit family. However, [Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's] closeness to their parents is likely to mean that they are not involved, at least for a period, probably a considerable period, in new charitable projects."
Beatrice and Eugenie’s royal promotion ‘a non-starter’ amid Andrew and Fergie’s public downfall
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He continued to tell the Mail that the sisters are "well established as a duo with constructive reach," which could protect their existing work from the "toxicity" surrounding their family name.
It is also unclear how the scandal will affect their position within the Royal Family. Their father, Prince Andrew, has faced years of damaging headlines over his own friendship with Epstein, alleged links to Chinese spy Yang Tengbo and claims of financial impropriety and bullying detailed in historian Andrew Lownie’s recent book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.
While Prince William is said to be fond of his cousins and has kept their reputation separate from that of their father, the publicity around their mother may be harder to ignore.
A royal insider previously told Hello!: "William, Beatrice and Eugenie are closer than lots of cousins might be – they have that unique shared experience and unusual life they all lead.
Sarah Ferguson has been dropped by several charities where she served as patron | GETTY"This is an institution that they all belong to, perhaps in slightly different ways in terms of how they serve it, but they all believe in it and its future and want to do what they can to support it."
Beatrice and Eugenie have been visible at key royal events in the past year, including a Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales and a Kew Gardens gala with the King and Queen.
But royal author Phil Dampier told the Mail that any plan to bring them into a more active role is "probably a non-starter now that both the Duke and Duchess of York are in the doghouse."
Exactly how the Royal Family will respond to the latest controversy surrounding the Yorks remains unclear.
Princess Eugenie at this year's Buckingham Palace Garden Party
|PA
In Fergie's 2011 email to Epstein, she said: "You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family."
The message was sent weeks before Fergie publicly denounced Epstein in an interview, describing her dealings with him as a "gigantic error of judgement" and pledging to "have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again."
A spokesman for the Duchess said the email was written under pressure after Epstein threatened legal action.
"This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats," the spokesman told GB News.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in 2024
|PA
According to the Telegraph, Fergie acted after receiving a "chilling call" in which a "menacing and nasty" Epstein threatened to "destroy the York family."
Her spokesman added that "the pressure she was put under to protect her family must have been huge."
Despite that explanation, seven charities have cut ties with Sarah, including the Teenage Cancer Trust, Julia's House, the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and the British Heart Foundation.