Princess Beatrice and Eugenie face new Andrew problem after King Charles makes ‘decision’

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are said to be facing a ‘tug of love’ dilemma after King Charles invited them to Sandringham for Christmas, while their father has been excluded from royal life

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are reportedly grappling with a fresh family predicament after King Charles extended a Christmas invitation to Sandringham, reigniting difficult questions about loyalty, public perception, and where they should be during a period of deep rifts within the Royal Family. According to The Mail on Sunday, the sisters are caught in what one insider described as a “tug-of-love” following the effective sidelining of their parents from royal duties.

With Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, largely excluded from the public-facing Royal establishment, Beatrice and Eugenie are being pulled in opposite directions by institutional expectations on one hand and familial devotion on the other. Sources told the newspaper that the situation has become a “logistical and emotional nightmare” for the sisters.

Both are understood to maintain their loyalty to the King and the Crown, while also feeling profound attachment to their parents. One source indicated that the strain is particularly acute for Princess Beatrice.

“Beatrice is feeling particularly under pressure as she feels she ‘has to be in three places at once’ on Christmas Day,” the source said. Staying at her new Cotswolds residence with her interior designer husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, their children, and her mother is believed to be her preferred option.

At the same time, she reportedly feels a diplomatic duty to appear with the broader Royal Family at the King’s Norfolk residence. Adding to the complexity is her relationship with her father. The source revealed that Beatrice also feels compelled to spend what could be a final Christmas at Royal Lodge with Andrew, “despite his fall from grace over the Epstein scandal.”

Unless she makes a decision to pick one side and one side only, she will spend a lot of time in the car,” the source added. “Overall it falls to the princesses to soothe family divisions. They are struggling with Christmas.”

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Princess Beatrice and Eugenie(Image: Getty)

Princess Eugenie, by contrast, is said to feel somewhat less conflicted. Now living primarily in Portugal with her husband Jack Brooksbank and their children, she is both physically and emotionally removed from much of the immediate drama.

“Eugenie was tempted to stay in Portugal with her family and husband Jack Brooksbank,” the source said. “She is so settled there, far from all the drama.”

Prince Andrew’s standing within the Royal Family has been uncertain for several years. Following his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019 and the subsequent civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages in early 2022.

Andrew has consistently denied allegations that he had sex with Giuffre when she was 17, and reached a civil settlement with her reportedly worth £12 million, with no admission of liability.

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In October, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew would lose his royal titles and vacate his residence at Royal Lodge in Windsor. King Charles has initiated a “formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew,” who will henceforth be referred to as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, according to palace officials.

The Royal Family also confirmed that Andrew would willingly cease using the title Duke of York and relinquish his honours as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

However, in line with King George V’s letters patent of 1917, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as daughters of a monarch’s son, will retain their royal titles.