Princess Eugenie skipped Princess Kate’s royal Christmas celebration, “Together At Christmas” carol service, as a show of loyalty toward her father Prince Andrew and the exiled Sussexes, according to an insider who exclusively tells In Touch the move has landed her in a tricky place with sister Beatrice, who made a last-minute change of plans to make sure she could attend the celebrations.
“Officially, Eugenie stayed behind to be with her mom and dad, but truth be told, she wasn’t very welcome,” the source says of the 34-year-old princess.
Eugenie’s shamed father Prince Andrew is still persona non grata among the royal cadre, despite his daughters lobbying King Charles to thaw out their frozen relations. “The two princesses have spoken to their uncle, asking him to forgive Andrew and for the two brothers to mend fences,” a second source previously dished to In Touch about the situation.
Just over three years ago, the wayward prince brought horrible shame – and bad press – to The Firm after a scandal involving his alleged friendship with Jeffrey Epstein made headlines. In response to a lawsuit brought against the red-faced royal accusing him of abusing a teenager, Andrew settled in August 2021, paying his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, an estimated $12 million — despite still insisting he’s done no wrong.
“The queen and Charles were both shocked over the allegations against Andrew,” that source said. “And although the prince still insists he was not guilty, Charles and the queen stripped him of some of his honors, and he is no longer a working royal.”
The first source says Eugenie “believes that her dad’s getting a raw deal,” and the other royals know it – “so it’s not like she’s really even trying to fit in at this point.”
The sisters’ efforts still haven’t paid off as Andrew remains completely iced out of royal life, but they have been making inroads with another one of their causes: getting their family to welcome Harry and Meghan back into the royal fold.
The Sussexes even recently bought a vacation home in Portugal near where Beatrice and her husband spend their summers. The relationship between Harry, 40, and his cousins hasn’t taken a hit, despite the red-headed prince and his wife, 43, walking away from their official duties and jetting off to live in North America.
“People are still very suspicious of her association with the Sussexes,” the insider continues, “the fact that she’s been so loyal towards them has put a big wedge between her and the rest of the family.”
“Beatrice on the other hand is making a big effort not to rock the boat and has stayed very neutral when it comes to Meghan and Harry. Eugenie and Beatrice have very different views on the Sussexes in particular, which has caused a bit of tension and put them in a tough spot.”
