Whenever Sarah Ferguson speaks – and she talks a lot – I feel a wave of sympathy for her daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Fergie comes across so poorly, but her daughters are still very close to their mom. There are mixed reports about whether B&E are still close to their father, Prince Andrew. It’s amazing, to me, that B&E turned out relatively normal. Eugenie seems to have a great marriage to a guy who adores her. Beatrice is married to Edo Mapelli Mozzi, and while it’s never seemed like a real love match, they seem to understand each other and get along well. Both princesses work at real jobs and they keep one foot inside the royal institution, getting invitations to “family events” and holidays. Well, with the new revelations about Sarah and Andrew’s lies about Jeffrey Epstein, it looks like there are some “royal” knives out for Bea and Eugenie. From the Mail:

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie pride themselves on being ‘working, young, royal women’ juggling being princesses and mothers. The sisters say they draw inspiration from the ‘strength inside’ their mother and are very protective of their father, despite the headache the Epstein scandal has caused them all.

But a royal insider has claimed that while Beatrice and Eugenie have matured into ‘intelligent, polite women’ – their ‘rarified’ upbringing taught them to be ‘just as entitled as their parents’. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson both believe their girls ‘deserve’ the gilded life of a princess – with a leg up from them and without the burden of royal duties, the Daily Mail’s source said.

The Yorks have been willing to cart their children around the world on business trips and even introduce them to ‘shady’ friends – if it secures the royal lifestyle they enjoyed growing up at Windsor’s Royal Lodge. Andrew, in particular, has ensured his daughters have impeccable contacts in the Gulf states, especially among the super-rich of Saudi Arabia where both Beatrice and Eugenie have popped up in recent years.

‘They were never going to be working royals but have benefitted from their family connection. Andrew introduced them to many of his business contacts and foreign royals. They and Fergie have become friends with some shady people’, revealed the Daily Mail’s royal source.

‘Beatrice and Eugenie grew up in this rarefied world in which there was always someone to do everything for you. That was illustrated when Beatrice had her BMW stolen in 2009 after leaving it unlocked with the car keys in the ignition. I think she was used to her police protection officer looking after such things. Whether you believe it was their decision [to not be working royals] or it was them and their father putting a brave face on things, he and they said they wanted careers instead of a life of ribbon-cutting. Andrew maintained it was their decision.’

[From The Daily Mail]

What is this “royal source” talking about? “Whether you believe it was their decision [to not be working royals] or it was them and their father putting a brave face on things, he and they said they wanted careers instead of a life of ribbon-cutting” – it was never Beatrice and Eugenie’s decision. Their uncle King Charles has always maintained that B&E will never be working royals. Andrew spent years lobbying QEII about it, because he wanted his daughters to work alongside William and Harry and because he wanted B&E to have royal protection. Charles and QEII shut it down, although QEII was more open to having the girls act as “half-in” royals. As for the entitlement and shady financial connections… sure, I believe Beatrice and Eugenie are just as entitled as everyone else in that family. I also believe Beatrice (in particular) is entangled in some messy financial stuff because of her dad’s contacts. But it sounds like this is just a random shot across the bow at Beatrice and Eugenie for no real reason. In the grand scheme of things, “they’re entitled” is a pretty nothingburger criticism for the royals.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Fergie’s social media, Cover Images.