Royal Historian Says Princess Beatrice And Princess Eugenie Might Be Losing Their Titles
After the heartbreaking death of Queen Elizabeth II, her eldest son ascended to the throne and became King Charles III. Even before his mother's passing, though, Charles was reportedly looking into significant changes to the British royal family, including a slimmed down monarchy. One source believes that will likely include King Charles and Queen Camilla; Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex; William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales; and Anne, Princess Royal, per Insider.
Charles is also expected to make some title changes in the near future. In addition to William and Kate already being named the new Prince and Princess of Wales, it is assumed that Edward will soon become the new Duke of Edinburgh, an honor held by the late Prince Philip. In fact, Buckingham Palace announced the move back when Edward married Sophie, Countess of Wessex, in 1999, revealing that it had already been agreed upon by Elizabeth, Philip, and Charles, per Hello!
Royal watchers are also waiting for King Charles to hand the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the title of prince and princess. Charles, however, is taking his sweet time making a decision, reportedly waiting to see if his younger son can prove his trustworthiness, per the Daily Mail. But while some royals might receive titles, one source says that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie — the daughters of the disgraced Prince Andrew — will probably be stripped of theirs.
King Charles will likely become 'more restrictive' about the use of titles
According to sources, Prince Andrew fought for his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to hold onto their titles even though they are not full-time working royals. "I know Andrew kicked up a stink many moons ago and wanted his children to be Prince or Princess and have all the trappings of royal life without doing very much for it," Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers explained, per Express.
But with King Charles III now the head of the British monarch, it might be a matter of time before they lose their titles, most likely becoming Lady Beatrice and Lady Eugenie. "Yes, there will be a change," said royal expert Marlene Koenig to The Express. She added that she believes Charles will make the use of titles "more restrictive."
If Charles makes the move, it would follow the Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's drastic decision to strip her younger son's children of their titles. While she claimed it would allow her grandchildren to "shape their own lives," her son, Prince Joachim of Denmark, isn't buying it. "We are all very sad. It's never fun to see your children being mistreated like that," he told Ekstra Bladet. "They themselves find themselves in a situation they do not understand."
Prince Andrew's scandals have impacted his daughters
After the death of Prince Philip, there was speculation that Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice would be taking on more royal duties. However, Prince Andrew's sexual assault scandal reportedly ruined any chance of his daughter's becoming working royals.
"It's very difficult when their father is involved in something, and has been for some time. He's embarrassed the royal family — his friendships have been catastrophic, his 'Newsnight' interview absolutely grotesque and he hasn't helped the FBI," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told iNews.
Andrew has already been stripped of his military titles and royal patronages, and is no longer addressed as "His Royal Highness" in an official capacity, per BBC. His mother. Queen Elizabeth II, made the decision after Andrew was sued by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused the prince of sexually assaulting her when she was only 17 years old in 2001, per Daily Mail. The two wound up settling the case out of court.