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After missing Kate Middleton’s annual carol service, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were warmly welcomed at the royal family’s early Christmas gathering at Buckingham Palace. The sisters, aged 37 and 35, were all smiles as they arrived together at the palace gates for one of the monarchy’s long-standing festive traditions.
Their appearance at the pre-Christmas lunch followed an especially challenging period for the sisters, whose parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, have been caught up in controversy linked to their past associations with the late sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror that she believes King Charles is following in his late mother’s footsteps when it comes to his relationship with — and support for — Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
She said: “Whatever you think of their parents, Beatrice and Eugenie have not been accused of doing anything wrong.” Bond added: “They have had to witness their parents being humiliated and publicly criticised for many years, yet they have remained close to the rest of the royal family.”
Reflecting on their bond with the monarchy, she continued: “Their Grannie, the late Queen, showed them great affection, and the King also appears eager to protect them. So I imagine they would have received a very warm welcome at the Palace lunch. I was delighted to see them looking so cheerful and happy.”
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The subject of Andrew — who was stripped of his royal titles and his right to live at Royal Lodge in October — has dominated much of the recent media discussion surrounding the royal family. This follows further revelations about Epstein and mounting pressure on US President Donald Trump to release government files linked to the investigation into his crimes.
The King’s younger brother has also faced criticism from US lawmakers over what they described as his “silence” after declining a request to take part in a “transcribed interview” regarding his long-standing association with Epstein, as part of an inquiry into how the case was handled. Andrew continues to deny all allegations against him.
However, despite the ongoing global attention, Jennie believes the issue of Andrew and Sarah would not have been raised at this week’s family lunch.
“I imagine the ‘elephant’ in the room would have been any discussion about Andrew and Sarah,” she told us. “That would simply be far too awkward for everyone involved.”
She also suggested that Prince William — who attended the lunch with Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis — would feel “particular sympathy” for what his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie are experiencing, given his own childhood and the intense public scrutiny surrounding his parents.
“He had to endure relentless media attention about his parents while growing up,” she explained. “Of course, the headlines were for very different reasons — the breakdown of his parents’ marriage — but it was still deeply traumatic for a young boy. You really have to feel for these young women.”
The festive gathering at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday is a long-standing tradition for the royal family and typically takes place in the week leading up to Christmas Day. Around 70 of the monarch’s relatives are usually invited, offering them the chance to celebrate ahead of 25 December, as not all family members attend the main Christmas service and lunch at Sandringham.
According to Jennie, the key question now is where Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank — along with their children — will choose to spend Christmas Day itself.
She explained: “Christmas is all about family, so the question is where they go. Do they show loyalty to their parents — and will their parents even be together on Christmas Day?”
Jennie continued: “Do they join the wider royal family at Sandringham, or do they spend the holidays with their own small families and in-laws? Ultimately, Christmas is about children and making the day special for them, so I imagine Beatrice and Eugenie will go wherever they feel their little ones will have the most magical experience.”
