Former Prince Andrew’s daughters torn between loyalty and legacy after father’s birthday arrest: experts
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are confronting their disgraced father’s explosive arrest as the sisters may soon face a fight for their royal futures.
The former Prince Andrew, 66, was arrested Thursday — his birthday — on suspicion of misconduct in public office during an inquiry linked to his ties with Jeffrey Epstein. He is accused of sharing confidential trade information with the late convicted sex offender.
The late Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite son is the first senior British royal to be arrested since King Charles I nearly 400 years ago. After being held for about 11 hours, Thames Valley Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that Andrew was later released.
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"While both daughters were loyal to their parents, they now face the untenable choice of whether salvaging their own futures must prevail, given even their maiden York name is so toxic," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.
"They have been understandably distressed by the Epstein file contents regarding both their parents, but will no doubt create even more visible distance from their parents while perhaps still supporting them privately," Fordwich shared.
"They now have tough decisions to make. All children faced with the despicable behavior of their parents have to make such a choice."
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Fordwich’s statements came shortly after People magazine reported that the York sisters are attempting to navigate the family’s latest fallout. While Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, have maintained a close relationship with their parents, the dynamic is shifting.
"They're trying to stay away from it," a source told the outlet. "They have young children, and this is their grandfather — their focus is on protecting their own children from this."
In addition to protecting their young children from the scrutiny, "they're also putting pieces of the puzzle together in real time and realizing they may have been used," the source claimed.
"That has to feel like a complete betrayal. They’re heartbroken — but a dad is still your dad, and a mom is still your mom. Love for a parent isn’t a light switch. It’s an incredibly painful and introspective moment for them."
The whereabouts of Beatrice and Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, remain unclear. The Daily Mail reported that she was last publicly seen leaving Royal Lodge, her ex-husband’s former 30-room estate, in September.
Although they divorced in 1996, the pair continued living there. Her last social media post, also in September, commemorated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Ferguson’s spokesperson for comment.
Fordwich is adamant that the sisters have a tough road ahead of them as working royals.
"Only total nitwits wouldn’t see that their parents’ close association with a convicted pedophile would be totally toxic to the monarchy, indeed, in society at all," she explained. "If one’s parents behave so despicably, those of age have tough choices to make."
"Andrew has been dependent upon his daughters for emotional support, which to date hasn’t wavered. But they are most likely not to appear publicly with him again."
"They may try to continue their charitable work, but those charities are unlikely to want to be associated with such a family," Fordwich warned.
To date, Eugenie and Beatrice have not released a public statement — unlike their uncle, King Charles III. Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he isn’t surprised.
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"Eugenie and Beatrice will keep a low profile for a few weeks while The Firm decides what will happen next," he said. "Obviously, the charities they support will be very anxious about any ongoing negative brand issues related to their father. It doesn’t help that Sarah has fallen off the radar."
"The temperature at the palace is off the scale," he said. "A YouGov opinion poll has revealed that 78% of those questioned want Andrew held accountable in both the U.K. and America."
On Friday, police continued searching Andrew’s former home. The British government is also considering whether to formally remove him from the line of succession.
Despite being stripped of his princely title in October and now facing a police investigation, Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne — a change that would require new legislation.
"The government is considering any further steps that might be required, and we’re not ruling anything out," announced James Murray, the government’s chief secretary to the Treasury.
The last time a royal was removed from the line of succession was after the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936. The law was changed to remove him and any descendants from the list.
Fordwich pointed out that the king wanted to protect his nieces from the public scrutiny surrounding their father. However, the crown must always come first.
"King Charles has wanted to project his charitable, forgiving nature by including both girls at public family events," she said. "He is profoundly concerned about them. But the institution must be protected first. Still, he doesn’t want to punish his nieces for their father’s debauchery."
Andrew appears in multiple documents among the 3 million pages related to Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice, including emails from Ferguson referencing their daughters. Inclusion in those files does not imply wrongdoing.
People reported that Andrew sent Epstein family Christmas cards in 2011 and 2012 featuring photos of Beatrice and Eugenie.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 on one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of procuring a minor for prostitution. He served 13 months in jail and died in custody in 2019.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged that Epstein trafficked her to Andrew for sex when she was 17, filed a civil lawsuit in 2021. The case was settled out of court in 2022, with Andrew admitting no wrongdoing.
Giuffre, 41, died in 2025. Her posthumous memoir reiterated her claims.
Fordwich said that the sisters will likely continue to keep a low profile as their father’s scandals are dealt with by the law.
"Their only chance of any sort of inclusion in the royal family is if they remain scandal-free, as well as totally and utterly supportive of the royal family, hence the choices they must make," said Fordwich.
"Eugenie was skiing in Switzerland when her father was being arrested," Fordwich shared. "Best she sticks to that. Prince William, their cousin, will not bow to sentiment like his father. His focus as heir to the throne will be on the long-term survival of the monarchy. He will enforce a tougher stance, limiting all non-working royals."
"Prince William is well known to have zero tolerance for any reputational risk," Fordwich added.
Andrew announced in October that he was giving up his royal titles, and the palace confirmed later that month that the king had "initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew."
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The decision followed Andrew’s initial step back from public life in 2019 after his BBC interview, in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. On Feb. 3, Andrew vacated Royal Lodge, three months after the king ordered him to surrender his lease.
A spokesperson for Ferguson previously told The Guardian: "The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims."
According to People, Ferguson had planned to "forge an independent life" away from her ex-husband. It’s understood she would be spending time abroad as she contemplated her next move. A spokesperson for the former Duchess of York had no comment for the outlet about her current location.
Police said Andrew was released under investigation, meaning he has neither been charged nor exonerated.