What to Know
The release of the Jeffrey Epstein files has only continued to shed more negative light on the royal family — the former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, in particular. And now, it seems like it could be costing daughters Eugenie and Beatrice their relationships with the other members of the royal family, including Kate Middleton, who has reportedly been acting colder than ever towards the sisters.
There has always been a bit of distance between Kate, Eugenie, and Beatrice.
According to what a source told the Daily Mail, Kate was never super close with husband Prince William‘s cousins, even during happier (read: less dramatic) times in the family. An insider said that Kate and the York girls “haven’t got that much in common,” so there hasn’t been much to connect them in the way of bonds beyond being related by marriage, and Will seems to be on the same page.
“William and Kate don’t appear to be close to either of the sisters,” the source told Daily Mail. “Beatrice and Eugenie were invited to help host a Buckingham Palace garden party once a year, but there’s no sign of them being considered taxpayer-funded working royals.”
Now, Kate is even more “wary” of them.
Beatrice and Eugenie’s parents’ connection to Jeffrey Epstein — which we now know includes an email where Fergie made an inappropriate reference towards Eugenie — has supposedly only made Kate more confident in her decision to continue distancing herself from them.
“Catherine will undoubtedly be wary, given the sensitivity of the situation,” royal expert Richard Fitzsimmons told the outlet.
While not senior royals like Kate, Eugenie and Beatrice do tend to take on public events from time to time, and it’s not clear if there are plans for them to take a step back as the scandal continues to unfold.
The Prince Harry element probably doesn’t help their relationship, either.
Prince Harry was always the closest to the sisters, and they’ve remained close even after he and wife Meghan Markle left their jobs as working royals (and moved out of the UK entirely) in 2020. Eugenie has been spotted traveling to California to visit with them since the move on more than one occasion, so maybe Will and Kate are doubting how trustworthy she may be in the first place?
Either way, Will and Kate seem to be trying to separate themselves from the Epstein scandal at all costs, so it wouldn’t be surprising at all if a relationship with Eugenie and Beatrice ended up being a consequence of that.
