Royal Expert Says Princesses Beatrice & Eugenie's Fall From Grace Goes Beyond Their Father: 'They're Deeply Involved'

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Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are watching their royal lives be dismantled publicly after the arrest of their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, but not everyone believes the sisters are collateral damage in the scandal.

Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, shared his thoughts with The Times about Beatrice and Eugenie being complicit in their downfall.

“There’s a big campaign to say they are innocents caught up in the shellfire, but they’re not,” Lownie explained about their visit to see Jeffrey Epstein in Florida less than a week after his prison release in 2009. “They’re deeply involved. They weren’t five-year-old girls when they were taken to see Epstein. They were grown-ups.”

At the time, Beatrice was 21, and Eugenie was 19, so they might not have been aware of the severity of his prison sentence – but their mother, Sarah Ferguson, was. Her lack of judgment in going on the trip in the first place is a major issue. Still, Lownie believes that the family’s ties to the Middle East are far more complicated.

“When Princess Beatrice goes to Davos or Saudi Arabia, it’s not as Mrs Mapelli Mozzi, it’s as HRH Princess Beatrice, even though she’s not representing anyone except herself,” Lownie added.

Princess Beatrice’s trips to the Middle East have been scrutinized before, going back to November 2024. There was speculation by the Daily Mail that her frequent trips were helping to “bankroll [ex-prince Andrew’s] stay at Royal Lodge.” His daughter’s trip to Abu Dhabi coincided with his announcement that he found funding to stay in Royal Lodge (this was well before his 2025 eviction from King Charles).

During that visit, Beatrice was noticeably situated next to Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a billionaire from a wealthy family with strong ties to London.

“There was a general feeling that Beatrice was an unofficial ambassador for the UK,” journalist Hadley Gamble shared with the media outlet. “Beatrice was quite literally in the inner circle at a gathering of global energy CEOs, top finance guys, and policymakers.”

King Charles might let these details slide, but Prince William’s growing power as he inches toward the throne likely won’t allow such wiggle room. He’s reportedly been asking for an “ethics check” on Beatrice and Eugenie’s personal investments, but so far, they have refused, per The Times.

It could be the end of Beatrice and Eugenie’s royal era.

More on the royal family:

Before you go, click here all the biggest royal scandals in the past 50 years.