King Charles 'determined to embrace' Princess Beatrice and Eugenie amid Andrew scandal
King Charles reportedly feels "responsible" for his nieces
King Charles reportedly stands firmly by Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as they navigate the fallout from their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s deepening scandal.
Buckingham Palace recently confirmed Andrew would move out of Royal Lodge and will lose his titles.
The decision came amid continued scrutiny over his association with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
King Charles ‘determined to embrace’ Princess Beatrice and Eugenie
Princess Eugenie made her first public royal appearance this week since the palace confirmed Andrew would no longer keep his “prince” title. The former Duke of York also lost his HRH style. He recently agreed to give up his Duke of York title, too.
Eugenie attended The King’s Foundation’s 35 under 35 network mentors brunch as a mentor herself. She took on the role earlier this year.
Speaking at the event, she said: “It was fantastic to spend more time with the 35 under 35, who are such an incredible group of talented young people. My career has been shaped by a passion for the arts. It’s a pleasure to be working with The King’s Foundation to support this inspirational group.”
Meanwhile, royal biographer Ingrid Seward told The Sun that the king has made a clear effort to embrace his nieces. He reportedly wants to give them a meaningful place within the royal fold during a “hideous” time.
“The king is determined to embrace his nieces… and bring them into the royal fold in a way where they don’t feel they’re just being gratuitously pulled in, but actually doing something for it,” she explained.
“Charles feels quite responsible for these two girls. It’s been a hideous time for them. They’ve both got young children. This is the very kind side of the king coming through.”
Seward added that the gesture sends a powerful message that “the sins of the father are not reflected on the children”.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal
Last week, photos showed Beatrice and Eugenie embracing in the street. They appeared in Mayfair on the same day Andrew formally had his titles stripped. The sisters hugged tightly before going their separate ways.
Andrew has long faced scrutiny over his association with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has also faced allegations of sexual assault from Virginia Giuffre.
Ms Giuffre, who took her own life in April, alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions at the age of 17.
Andrew has always vehemently denied the allegations.
This week, newly released documents from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform appear to show Epstein acknowledging that Ms Giuffre “had her picture taken with Andrew”.
This undermines Andrew’s repeated insistence that he has no memory of ever meeting her.
The photograph, first revealed in the press in 2011, shows Andrew with his arm around Ms Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home. In his 2019 Newsnight interview, Andrew said he had “no recollection” of the image “ever being taken”.
In 2022, Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre after she sued him in a US civil case, accusing him of sexual assault.
They settled for an undisclosed sum. However, Andrew made it clear, by doing so, he did not accept any liability.
Read more: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ‘told’ Jeffrey Epstein ‘I can’t take any more of this’ in released email
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