Princess Eugenie has broken with years of tradition by not posting a birthday tribute to her mother Sarah Ferguson on social media this week.
The Duchess of York turned 66 on Wednesday, celebrating privately as she and her former husband, Prince Andrew, face renewed public scrutiny over their relationship with the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duchess of York received no public well-wishes from the Royal Family, which may have been expected as it was not a milestone year.
However, the lack of acknowledgement from the youngest York daughter will come as a blow to Fergie, as Eugenie has observed the annual tradition since 2019.
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In her first post, Eugenie described her mother as "an inspiration" and "one of the people she admires most in this world", adding, "I love you to the moon and back".
The following year featured a whimsical image of the Duchess perched on a decorative mushroom, with Eugenie honouring her "one of a kind" mother.
Personal selfies with her "dear mummy" followed in 2021 and 2022.
Last year's tribute included multiple photographs with the message: "So proud of the Grannie you are, the mum you are and the woman you are".
Princess Eugenie has not wished her mother Sarah Fergsuon happy birthday on social media
|INSTAGRAM: PRINCESS EUGENIE
The sole previous omission occurred in 2023, coinciding with the duchess's cancer diagnosis.
Instead of making a new post, the princess attended the Frieze Art Fair in Regent's Park on the day of her mother’s birthday.
Eugenie was photographed at the event, which brought together over 130 galleries to display selections of contemporary art, alongside artist Michael Walker, author Sarah Blakley-Cartwright, and film producer Bernard Lagrange.
The princess wore an understated black ensemble consisting of a three-quarter sleeve jumper and pleated midi skirt, accessorised with silver jewellery including mushroom-shaped earrings.
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Eugenie was photographed at the Frieze Art Fair in Regent's Park, London, on the evening of her mother's birthday
|GETTY
It is currently unknown if Eugenie or her older sister, Princess Beatrice, shared any private birthday greetings with their mother.
The radio silence from Eugenie follows a resurgence in intense public scrutiny on the Duke and Duchess of York relating to their former relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Fergie faced questions after an email she sent to the late convicted sex offender in 2011 emerged where she appeared to refer to Epstein as her "supreme friend" and apologised for publicly disowning him just weeks earlier.
Following the disclosures, Fergie was dropped as patron by seven charities and retreated from public life – with "no sign" of her since.
The radio silence comes as Fergie and Prince Andrew are currently facing renewed scrutniy over their former relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
|GETTY
Her former husband, Prince Andrew, has also been hit with renewed scrutiny.
On Wednesday, passages of his late accuser Virginia Giuffre's upcoming memoir reported in the press contained lurid new details of her alleged encounter with the duke.
It followed another bruising development over the weekend when leaked correspondence appeared to show Andrew writing to Epstein on February 28, 2011.
The exchange occurred the day following publication of a photograph showing the duke with his arm around Ms Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell's London residence.
In the message, Andrew stated they were "in this together" and would need to "rise above it", suggesting ongoing contact between the pair.
The emails cast fresh doubt over the duke's previous public statements regarding the timeline of his association with Epstein.
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