Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice pictured in New York amid Sarah Ferguson scandal

This also happened to be the same week that the Duchess of York faced immense scrutiny over her past links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Several charities cut ties with Fergie over a 2011 email in which she referred to Epstein as a "supreme friend" and later apologised to the convicted sex offender.

A spokesman for Sarah told GB News: "The Duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been her first thoughts are with his victims.

"Like many people, she was taken in by his lies. As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.

"She does not resile from anything she said then. This email was sent in the context of advice the Duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats."

Eugenie and Beatrice were pictured together in New York at an Anti-Slavery Collective event, examining designer bags and meeting industry experts to highlight how counterfeit fashion fuels forced labour and trafficking.

Sharing photographs from New York on Thursday, Eugenie said: "The Anti-Slavery Collective have been working on a project showing the connection between fake fashion & forced labour.

"I was very proud to host an event to coincide with UNGA and NYC Climate Week to launch this exciting new project, and shine a light on this underreported human rights scandal.

"The Anti-Slavery Collective launched a new short film and hosted a roundtable for fashion insiders, re-seller platforms, designers, brands, behavioural scientists, fashion press, and illicit trade experts.

"This is only the beginning and I can’t wait to see this project unfold!"

It follows a detailed statement she issued on Wednesday, highlighting the scale of the problem.

At the time, Eugenie said: "Did you know that Fake fashion is a booming industry worth hundreds of billions driving a hidden web of exploitation and harm to people and planet?

"From forced labour and child exploitation to human trafficking, fake fashion - the kind you can buy online, on the streets, or on holiday - is rife with harm.

"This week, we hosted an event in NYC with fashion insiders, behavioural change experts, brands, and specialists to shine a light on this overlooked human rights scandal.

"Our campaign, Hidden Threads: Fake Fashion - A Human Rights Scandal, calls on governments to collect and share data on illicit trade and counterfeiting and implement and enforce forced labour bans.

"We also urge everyone to consider whether buying a fake handbag, football shirt or trainers is worth the cost of people around the world being exploited.

"Share this video to help us raise awareness on how fake fashion is linked to forced labour and human exploitation."

The initiative was launched through The Anti-Slavery Collective, the charity Eugenie co-founded in 2017 to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.