The Truth About Prince Andrew's Relationship With Beatrice And Eugenie
Prince Andrew is currently in the news for pretty a terrible reason: Queen Elizabeth's son was sued for sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre in August 2021 (per CNN). There's expected to be a trial for the case since Andrew's request to have it dismissed was rejected, which means there is a strong possibility he will be in New York City to attend that trial sometime in the fall of 2022 (via The New York Times).
While much of the attention has been focused on Andrew, there are plenty of other people who are directly impacted by this suit as well. Two of the most important people are Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. While the women have each kept a relatively low profile throughout the ongoing allegations against their father, it's reasonable to assume they have each been impacted by the case as it unfolds.
Now with the possibility being raised that both women could be asked to give depositions ahead of the trial, there is a renewed interest in Prince Andrew's relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie. Here's a look at what that relationship has been like and where the three stand now.
Prince Andrew wasn't around while his wife was pregnant with Princess Beatrice
Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, has been remarkably open about the pair's decade-long marriage (of which they spent the last four years separated). In a 2007 interview with Harper's Bazaar, she revealed that Andrew was deployed on military service only two weeks after their wedding and that she spent nearly the entirety of her pregnancy with the pair's first daughter by herself.
Things didn't improve after Princess Beatrice was born. In fact, Fergie added that her husband only received 10 days of leave following the birth and then he was right back out at sea. In response, she claimed that the team at Buckingham Palace essentially told her to deal with it. She shared, "When he left and I cried, they all said: 'Grow up and get a grip.'"
Beatrice was born only two years after her parents got married in 1986, which likely made her mother's isolation feel even more intense. Though Andrew wasn't able to be part of Beatrice's development during Fergie's pregnancy, by all indications, he's very close to his daughter now.
Prince Andrew continued to live with his daughters and ex-wife after their divorce
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's divorce became official in 1996, after the two first separated in 1992. Unlike a lot of divorced couples, Andrew and Sarah stayed close — quite close. In fact, both parties continued to live in Andrew's home, Royal Lodge, and the two raised their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, there together. As Sarah once explained to The Telegraph, the relationship they have with their kids was worth it. She said, "We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything. I'm proud of the job we have done together in bringing up our children and sustaining a strong family unit. Our bywords are communication, compromise and compassion."
That's not all that the family of four do together. As numerous outlets have reported over the years, including The Guardian, Andrew has also made a point to take family vacations with Sarah, Beatrice, and Eugenie.
Princess Eugenie has described her father as 'the rock' of the family
In 2016, Princess Eugenie opened up in an interview with Harper's Bazaar about her day-to-day routine. After revealing that she typically goes to bed at midnight, Eugenie added that the one thing in the world she can't do without is her family, including her mom, Sarah Ferguson, and her dad, Prince Andrew. After explaining that both her mother and her sister, Princess Beatrice, are the people she turns to when faced with tough decisions, Eugenie revealed that her dad is "the rock" of the family.
Eugenie has also previously credited both of her parents with helping her and Beatrice stay grounded and focused under the constant scrutiny of both the media and the public at large. As she once said, her parents are the reason she's able to hold herself together. Eugenie shared with British Vogue, "We've had some serious grounding from our parents. They've had their fair share of terrible media interest and it makes us stronger."
Princess Eugenie still celebrates her parents' anniversary
Of the two sisters, Princess Eugenie is a lot more forward-facing than her more private sister, Princess Beatrice. While Beatrice doesn't have a public Instagram account, Eugenie does, and it certainly seems like she loves to use that account, in part, to celebrate the relationship that still exists between her parents. In July 2019, Eugenie turned to Instagram to congratulate her parents on what would have been their 33rd wedding anniversary, concluding the post by writing, "Thank you for always being the best of friends and bringing us up together."
In a lot of ways, it seems like one reason Eugenie feels so comfortable celebrating their wedding anniversary is because Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have done so much work together to stay a united team for their children. While Andrew has not commented publicly on their relationship, Sarah explained to the Mirror (via The Guardian), "Well, we're very happily divorced. It might sound strange but we believe very firmly in what we've got."
Prince Andrew missed the birth of Beatrice's daughter
Princess Beatrice gave birth to her first biological child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in September 2021 (Beatrice also has stepson Wolfie from her husband's previous relationship). While many of her family members were able to be on hand to help welcome little Sienna Elizabeth into the world, one person was notably absent. Much as he was not able to be present for Sarah Ferguson's pregnancy with Beatrice, Prince Andrew missed out on the birth of Beatrice's daughter in London (per The Sun) — but for a very different reason.
The reason Andrew couldn't be there for Beatrice is that he was reportedly hiding out at royal estate Balmoral in hopes of avoiding Virginia Giuffre's legal team, who intended to notify him of Giuffre's intent to sue for sexual abuse and assault. Per CNN, Giuffre's team was eventually successful, and Andrew ended up not meeting his first granddaughter until two weeks after she entered the world. A source told The U.S. Sun, even knowing Andrew's circumstances at the time, "It is quite something that he had to wait almost two weeks before he met her."
Prince Andrew's current lawsuit has impacted his daughters' standing in the royal family
While being the daughters of Prince Andrew has meant that Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice have always been a significant part of the royal family, the two have had decidedly smaller roles in the institution when compared to Prince William and Prince Harry. Those roles have been slimmed down throughout the years, with both girls having professional jobs outside of being royal (per Good Housekeeping). This is partly due to Prince Charles' desire to have a smaller circle of working royals in general, but also perhaps partly due to the ongoing sexual abuse lawsuit against Andrew.
As explained by inews.co.uk, any hopes that Eugenie and Beatrice might have had of being worked into the royal family in a larger way have likely been dashed as a result of the case. While royal experts agree that Andrew's recent loss of his royal affiliations and titles will not directly impact his daughters, commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the publication that it is "very unlikely" either woman will be allowed to step up into any new royal positions.
Additionally, both could be called upon to testify against their father. After Andrew decided to press ahead for a full legal trial by jury, many began speculating that both Eugenie and Beatrice, among others, could be asked to give depositions in the case (per the Daily Mail). This could potentially influence Prince Andrew's relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie.