The Duchess of York is facing scrutiny following the release of a 2011 email she sent to Jeffrey Epstein

Princess Beatrice has stepped down as a trustee of the Outward Bound Trust after six years.

The 37-year-old joined the board in 2019, shortly after her father, Prince Andrew, gave his now-infamous BBC Newsnight interview attempting to explain his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In the fallout from that broadcast, Andrew withdrew from a string of organisations, including Outward Bound, where he had been patron for three years and chaired the board of trustees since 1999.

The role of patron was previously held by Prince Philip for 65 years, reflecting the late Duke of Edinburgh’s long-standing commitment to the charity.

Princess Beatrice steps down from charity role amid Sarah Ferguson backlash

Outward Bound’s mission is to help young people develop confidence, resilience and leadership skills through challenging outdoor expeditions.

Its philosophy draws on the educational ideas of Kurt Hahn, who shaped Philip’s own schooling at Gordonstoun.

Shelly Phillips, the charity’s head of marketing and communications, told the Mail that Beatrice’s contribution over the past six years had been “greatly valued”.

She added that a “new role” for the princess will be announced “in due course”, but gave no further details about what that might involve or when it would begin.

Princess Beatrice lighting the Empire State Building in partnership with Outward Bound in 2024

Beatrice’s decision to leave the trustee position coincides with a difficult period for her mother, Sarah Ferguson.

The Duchess of York is facing renewed scrutiny following the release of a 2011 email she sent to Epstein, two years after he was released from prison for sex offences.

In the message, she described him as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend”, acknowledged he would feel “hellaciously” let down by comments she had made about him in public and said she “humbly apologised”.

The email came to light this month and has already had consequences. Eight charities have ended their association with the Duchess, among them the British Heart Foundation, The Children’s Literacy Charity and The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.