Here are some photos of “the other royals” at the Investec Epsom Derby at Epsom Racecourse in Epsom on June 2, 2013. I’m actually somewhat shocked that Duchess Kate didn’t manage to come out for a public appearance considering this kind of thing is exactly what kind of appearance she loves the most: something non-charitable, where she just gets to show up in a cute outfit and talk to her friends. Instead of Kate, we get Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Bea is 24 years and Eugenie is 23. And because Eugenie and Bea don’t get the same kind of obsessive interest from fashionistas, I have no idea what the designer IDs are on those dresses.

I do think Bea and Eugenie and the Queen all look lovely though. It’s good to see the Queen out with those girls! The Duke of York has rather famously wanted his daughters to take on more royal duties and responsibilities now that they’re in their 20s, and the young princesses are said to have asked the Queen for more work too. Considering how work-shy Kate has turned out to be, you would think that the Queen would be promoting “the other princesses” more just to keep William and Kate in line, right? So maybe that’s what this was.

God, these girls look EXACTLY like their parents. Eugenie looks just like her father and Beatrice is her mother’s doppelganger. I think I prefer Beatrice’s bold black-and-white graphic and burgundy cloche to Eugenie’s more muted ensemble, but both girls look totally appropriate and pretty for the races. At the very least, their hat game is improving.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and Pacific Coast News.

Here are some new photos of Princess Beatrice and her boyfriend Dave Clark last night in London. Some of you are always asking me to cover more stuff about Prince Andrew’s daughters, so here you go. I’m not completely “sold” on Beatrice and Eugenie being good for the royal family brand, but they’re blood princesses and they’re trying to do good, and both of them actually have work ethics, so that’s something (side-eye at Kate). I knew Beatrice had a boyfriend, but I didn’t realize that he was A) older, B) introduced to her by William and C) that they had been dating since 2006. Dave Clark is the same age as William – 30. Beatrice is 24 years old right now. And they’ve been together for six years, which means that everybody is assuming that they will eventually get married.

She has to dress conservatively whenever she attends public functions in her role as a royal. So it’s no surprise that Princess Beatrice wants to jazz up her look a little when she’s not fulfilling official duties. The 24-year-old sexed up her style in a mini leather skirt as she enjoyed a night at Nobu with her boyfriend Dave Clark on Thursday evening. The Princess kept her make-up relatively low-key while wearing her red-tinged hair down, showing off just how shiny and healthy looking it is.

Her older boyfriend, Dave who she has been dating since 2006, opted for a smart causal look consisting of jeans with a white shirt left open around the collar and a blazer. As she left she reached out for her boyfriend, who she was introduced to by her cousin and his school friend Prince William, as he chatted on the phone.

The couple looked as loved-up as ever, fuelling speculation that a Royal wedding may be on the cards in the not so far off future. It’s been reported that her parents Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York would be thrilled at the prospect of her tying the knot with the Virgin Galactic businessman.

‘Both Sarah and Andrew would be delighted to call Dave their son-in-law,’ a source told MailOnline. ‘They already think of him as one of the family and aren’t surprised in the least that he wants to ask for her hand.’

Beatrice and her younger sister Eugenie have recently been announced as Britain’s newest trade ambassadors and as part of their new role they visited Germany to help promote the UK abroad.

[From The Mail]

Well, anyone that Sarah approves of is worthy of a side-eye, because Sarah just has awful taste in everything. Sarah is one of the main reasons I worry about Bea and Eugenie – I worry that their mother really messed them up about men, body image, money, the royal family, everything. And Andrew is no prize either, although I think he loves his daughters very much and he’s the one pushing for them to be more involved in the royal family business.

Anyway, this Dave Clark guy is cute enough, and there doesn’t seem to be any notable drama around them. So why not? Let them get married! I would be into it.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

This story is slightly complicated, so let me get through some background before we begin. Allegedly, Prince Harry and William are pretty close to their younger cousins, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. Harry is said to be especially fond of them, and Harry (who is closer in age) seems to travel in many of the same aristocratic and moneyed circles as his cousins. When Harry found himself single recently, Eugenie set him up with a friend – a beautiful, blonde model friend named Cressida Bonas. Harry and Cressida hit it off, and they might still be seeing each other. Here’s where it gets more complicated.

Because it seems like Duchess Kate doesn’t get along so well with her cousins-in-law. Kate, Eugenie and Beatrice are not outwardly bitchy to each other, but there are some tensions and some hard feelings over old grudges. It doesn’t help matters that the Queen recently re-emphasized the royal hierarchy so that princesses who “marry into the family” have to curtsey to “blood princesses” – making Kate lower in status than Beatrice and Eugenie. So, why is this Cressida Bonas thing raising Kate’s hackles? Because Cressida’s sister Isabella is the one person that made Kate incredibly jealous – because William was totally in love with Isabella. So…

Prince Harry and a beautiful blonde? It seemed like just another date in the life of the eligible young royal. But when the blonde is Cressida Bonas – half-sister of the woman Prince William once wanted to marry – and the matchmaker is royal cousin Princess Eugenie, palace insiders see Harry’s rendezvous as the most recent volley in the way between the Yorks (Eugenie, 22, and Beatrice, 24) and the Middletons.

“No woman makes Kate as insecure as Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe,” a palace insider tells In Touch of Cressida’s half-sister – for whom William left Kate for five years ago.

“Eugenie knew it would get under Kate’s skin,” adds the source, explaining that were things to get serious between Harry and Cressida, family gatherings would become excruciating for the duchess.

Why would Eugenie put Kate in such an uncomfortable position? The source says there’s been a royal battle brewing for quite some time: “There is no love lost between the sisters. They have nothing in common, unless you count Kate now being a member of the royal family.”

The source says it’s not entirely one-sided. “Prior to the royal wedding, Kate invited Beatrice to a party, but forgot to mention it was costume,” says the source. “Poor Beatrice was so embarrassed, she ended up in tears in the bathroom.”

Now that she’s part of the royal family – and a future queen – Kate knows such oversights are beneath her. But it won’t be easy to forgive and forget.

“Although Kate will have to socialize with the Yorks at royal events, they’ll never be good friends,” the source says.

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition]

I mean, in some sense In Touch is just reorganizing some facts and gossip to pit the princesses against the duchess. But… there might be something there. I’ll admit, I don’t pay much attention to Eugenie and Beatrice, but I remember hearing stuff about the York girls not getting along with the Middleton girls – and this was years before Kate married William. So, maybe Eugenie decided to get back at Kate using a weird method. I don’t know.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

This is something I’ve been wondering about for a while, and I’m glad there’s a story about it and details about the Queen approving of new “royal protocols”. Many of us have wondered: who does Duchess Kate really “outrank” in the royal family? It’s generally thought that “blood princesses” (born into the family, born with a royal title) are superior to those princesses/duchesses who simply marry into the family. Like, obviously, Princess Anne (The Princess Royal) far outranks Duchess Kate. But how about Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie? Are they equal to Kate? Are they lesser? Although Kate wasn’t “born” with a royal title, she will be Queen one day – does that affect the situation? Well, The Mail has all of the answers. And it’s not what I was expecting:

Despite the ease with which she has taken to her role, it seems the Duchess of Cambridge has not yet conquered the House of Windsor. Newly updated ‘protocols’ approved by the Queen place Kate firmly down the royal pecking order, it was reported yesterday.

A document is said to have been circulated privately in the royal household, clarifying Kate’s status. Although she is the future Queen, as a former commoner Kate must show reverence to the ‘blood princesses’. This means she is expected to curtsey to those born royal, such as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie – both in public and in private. The rule only applies when her husband, Prince William, is not present.

In his absence, she must also curtsey to other blue-blooded women in the royal household, including Princess Anne and Princess Alexandra, the Queen’s cousin. She must always curtsey to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, whether William is present or not.

However, in the case of the Countess of Wessex, it is she who has to curtsey to Kate. The Earl of Wessex’s wife was once the second-highest ranking woman in the Royal Family because neither of the Queen’s other sons, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, were married. This is effectively Sophie’s second ‘demotion’, having been pushed down the list in 2005 after Charles married Camilla, and finding she was expected to curtsey to the Duchess of Cornwall.

The complex new rules come in a little-known edict entitled the Order Of Precedence Of The Royal Family To Be Observed At Court, which the Queen has updated to take into account the Duke of Cambridge’s wife.

The Princess Royal is said to have refused to ever curtsey to Princess Diana or to Camilla, on the basis they were outsiders whereas she had given her whole adult life to royal service. In an effort to avoid conflicts, the Queen drew up the first Order of Precedence in 2005, after Charles married Camilla. Its effect was to change the order along ‘blood lines’ so that Princesses Anne, Beatrice, Eugenie and Alexandra – the granddaughter of George V – were all ahead of Camilla.

The etiquette, though arcane to some, is taken very seriously by the royals, who bow and curtsey to each other in public and behind closed doors. The Order of Precedence affects other aspects of royal protocol too, such as who arrives first at an event. For example, Camilla was forced to wait in the drizzle outside the Guards Chapel, Windsor, for the arrival of Princess Anne at a memorial service in 2006, because Charles had not accompanied her.

Royal historian Brian Hoey, an expert on court protocol, predicted when William married Kate that: ‘Kate will take the rank of her husband, which means that when she’s at court, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie should curtsey to her. But I don’t think there’s a chance they will. While William feels warmly towards his cousins, Beatrice and Eugenie, he’s conscious of the fact that they are lesser royals. As future King, he will wish to see them behaving correctly towards their future Queen – but their attitude is likely to be, “Why should I? I was born royal – Kate wasn’t”.’

Yesterday a Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment. Royal observers suspect Kate will not mind the new rules as she is keen to please everybody, but William may be less happy. However, it seems getting to grips with life in the royal household does have its benefits.

The increasingly glamorous Duchess is thought to have spent more than £35,000 on couture and high-end outfits since the start of the year – and the bill is being met by her father-in-law. Prince Charles has agreed to pay for any dresses the Duchess wears for ‘work-related’ functions and engagements through his official household budget. He will open up his accounts to the public this week for the first time since Kate, 30, joined the family.

[From The Mail]

So, basically, the Queen let it be known that Kate and Camilla should always curtsey to the blood princesses, but in reality, it probably won’t happen because William wants to make sure that his cousins respect Kate’s position. ??? I guess. Basically, the rule should be “Everyone needs to curtsey to Princess Anne, and beyond that you’re all on your own.”

Photos courtesy of WENN.

As we discovered, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were both royal hot messes at the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William (their first cousin). I suspect that fug fashion sense is in their blood – after all, Fergie is their mother, and she has never been known for her righteous styling. Eugenie and Beatrice’s fug seemed a little “extra” though, especially when you took into account their enormous hats/headpieces/fascinators. Beatrice’s headpiece was especially epic and Lady Gaga-esque. Anyway, their hat designer, Philip Treacy, has given an interview to Hollywood Life where he defends his creations and the two princesses, and basically boils it down to “haters gonna hate, royal style.”

Immediately following the Royal Wedding on April 29, Facebook and Twitter filled with ridicule for Princesses Beatrice, 22, & Eugenie, 21, “ridiculous” hats. But HollywoodLife.com spoke with Philip Treacy, the man behind the royal creations, at the premiere of L’Amour Fou in NYC on May 1 and revealed what he had in mind when designing the colorful and feathery toppers for the daughters of Prince Andrew Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York.

“My inspiration was beauty and elegance it’s a 21st century royal wedding,” Philip told us at the screening hosted by designer Vera Wang. “No, they didn’t tell me [what they wanted] because I’ve known them for a long time and I wanted them to look gorgeous and beautiful. They trusted me to make them. Gorgeous and beautiful can be open to interpretation … I thought they looked gorgeous and beautiful. But no one is crying if anyone didn’t.”

Beatrice’s intricate bow-like hat, matched her taupe Valentino Haute Couture dress. While her older sister’s royal blue fashion statement sat perched on her head complete with purple flowers and large white feathers.

“How a hat makes you feel is what a hat is all about,” Philip says. “It’s about making you feel a million dollars so when you’ve got something beautiful on your head and the head is the most important part of the body to embellish, because it’s what you meet. When you’re wearing something on your head you feel beautiful.”

[From Hollywood Life]

So friggin’ English. “I thought they looked gorgeous and beautiful. But no one is crying if anyone didn’t.” He can’t just say, “Some people didn’t like the hats, but I loved what I created.” Of course not. He has to talk down to all of us peasants who simply didn’t “get” the genius of the hats. “No one is crying” if we didn’t “get” it. Pish posh. Crumpets. Sniff.

Photos courtesy of Fame & WENN.

Well, was Chelsy Davy the worst dressed girl at the wedding, or was it Princess Beatrice? Or Princess Eugenie? Both looked pretty rough, in my opinion, but no one compares to Samantha Cameron (the PM’s wife) for Worst Dressed in my eyes. Sam wasn’t wearing a hat, her dress was unflattering (bordering on fug), and she looked like she just rolled out of bed. But back to the princesses. Yikes.

Beatrice wore tan-beige, with a ginormous… headpiece. I can’t call it a hat, and it’s not a fascinator, in my opinion. It’s just a fug headpiece, and I do not care for it. The suit is rough too – too much doily action happening at the collar.

As for Eugenie… I know what she was aiming for, and… well, she’s young. She’ll learn. This color is difficult to pull off, and it’s not a color that screams “classy, princess-y.” It looks more like cruise-wear. Tropical. Too turquoise. Too puffy. And the headpiece/hat… ugh.

I also included some photos of Bea and Eugenie at last night’s dinner at the Palace. Both girls looked so much better in their evening-wear:

Photos courtesy of WENN & PopSugar.

Star Magazine reports that there is another royal wedding coming up, but don’t expect the same hysteria as that surrounding Prince William’s. In fact, this royal wedding wasn’t even allowed to be announced until Prince William’s was.

So congratulations to Princess Beatrice, the 22-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew and Fergie (the Duchess, not the Black Eyed Pea). She is engaged to her boyfriend of four years, David Clark.

David is the astronaut relations head at Virgin Galactic. How cool a job is that?

“Bea and Dave are closer than ever,” a source says of the couple, who actually got engaged before William and Kate but have been required by royal protocol to let the other duo make their announcement first. “But they didn’t mind waiting to celebrate, since they’re not planning to wed until 2012.”

At the top of the guest list? Probably Wills himself, since he introduced them!

[Star, print edition, December 27, 2010]

Beatrice has had a rough year, after her mother Sarah Ferguson faced bankruptcy and a bribery scandal. An insider told Britain’s Now magazine, “Bea’s had quite a tough year. But Dave’s been there cheering her up and making her smile.”

Beatrice is fifth in line to the throne of England. Plus, she probably gets a window seat on Virgin’s first trip to space, which is cooler in my mind.

Princess Beatrice has been left red-faced and without a vehicle after a thief took off with her three year-old BMW 1 series when she left the keys in the ignition to just drop into a shop. The 20 year-old University of London co-ed was out with a bodyguard and probably felt like her car was safe when she left it for a moment, only to have it stolen. She called her 18 year-old sister, Eurgenie, to come pick her up after the car went missing. The princesses waited at a bar before the police arrived:

She may officially be the cleverest Royal but Princess Beatrice’s BMW has been stolen after she left the keys in the unlocked car’s ignition while out shopping.

When the princess came out of the store, she discovered her BMW – given to her as a 17th birthday present by her father Prince Andrew – had vanished.

Her police protection officer had gone into the shop in Kensington, south London, with her, leaving the car unattended.

Passers by looked on as the BMW 1 Series with personalised number plates was driven off by a thief at high speed and in broad daylight.

[From The Daily Mail via Gossip Rocks]

Have you had anything stolen that you didn’t lock up because you felt like it was safe? When I was around Beatrice’s age I had a bag stolen out of my car at a park. It was a new car and I totally forgot to lock the back door. At the time I really didn’t have to admit that to anyone except the police and my family, though. Poor Beatrice now has the whole world knowing that she got careless and had her car swiped. It even had custom license plates so she probably assumed no one would be that bold.

Princess Beatrice is shown on 10/30/08 with her mom, Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York. She is also shown with her boyfriend, Dave Clark, on 10/24/08. Credit: WENN