Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are reported to have had little flexibility when it came to their Christmas plans away from their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
According to those close to the family, spending the festive period with the royal family rather than with their father was largely unavoidable.
Andrew has faced much scrutiny over the years due to his association with late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Last October, Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and honours amid the scrutiny.
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Why Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were expected to spend Christmas with the royals, not Andrew
While Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson reportedly spent Christmas privately at Royal Lodge in Windsor, Beatrice and Eugenie attended the traditional church service and walkabout at Sandringham. They were joined by their husbands and children and appeared publicly alongside senior members of the royal family.
The decision quickly prompted speculation. Some viewed it as a deliberate snub of Andrew and Sarah. Others questioned how the York family divided their time over the holidays.
‘They live and die by the monarchy’
A family friend has since suggested the situation was far less dramatic. According to the source, the sisters did not feel they had much choice in the matter.
“They live and die by the monarchy,” the source reportedly said.
Speaking about their appearance at Sandringham, the same source added: “This didn’t surprise me at all. And Andrew and Sarah would have 1,000 per cent supported it.”
From that perspective, loyalty to the institution came first. Attending the king’s Christmas celebrations was seen as an obligation rather than a personal preference.
Royal biographer Robert Jobson has supported that view. Speaking to People, he said Beatrice and Eugenie made the right decision.
“They did the right thing – showing loyalty to King Charles and to the Crown,” he said. “It’s easy to say this is a snub, but they would say, ‘I’m a royal princess, I’m in line to the throne, I have been invited to attend the king’s Christmas celebrations, and you don’t turn down the king’s invitation.’”
He added: “If you have an invitation, you go. It’s not an invitation – it’s a command, really.”
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ‘persuaded’ the York sisters to attend Sandringham Christmas
Elsewhere, royal author Ingrid Seward has claimed that Andrew pushed his daughters to spend Christmas with their royal relatives.
Seward believes that Andrew will have wanted his daughters to spend the holiday at Sandringham to gather information about his own future within The Firm.
She told The Sun, who described the former prince as using his daughters as ‘spies’: “I don’t think Beatrice and Eugenie had a choice. Andrew said to them ‘you have to go’.”
“He wants to know what’s going on and what people are saying about him. They are Andrew’s only passport into the royal family now,” she continued.
“I’m absolutely sure he persuaded them.”
Buckingham Palace and Beatrice and Eugenie’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
Beatrice and Eugenie’s inheritance from Andrew ‘ruled out’
The discussion comes amid separate reports concerning Royal Lodge, the reported £30million property Andrew has occupied for more than 20 years.
It has been claimed that Beatrice and Eugenie will not be able to inherit the property. A property expert has explained why.
Elliot Castle, of We Buy Any Home, said any possibility of inheritance has now been ruled out entirely. Speaking to The Mirror, he explained that inheritance would only have been possible while Andrew’s lease remained in place.
“Once that lease is surrendered or terminated, there is nothing to pass on,” he said. “From a property standpoint, that closes the door entirely. Royal Lodge would revert fully to the Crown Estate, with no residual claim for Andrew or his daughters.”
Castle also stressed that Royal Lodge is more than a family home. It is a valuable long-term leasehold asset.
Initiating a process to remove Andrew earlier than expected, he said, strips away both its financial and practical value. He added that reports of losses of around £500,000 reflect not just moving costs, but the loss of a long-term residential interest that would otherwise have remained in place for decades.
Against that backdrop, Beatrice and Eugenie’s decision to align themselves publicly with the Royal Family at Christmas appears, to some observers, less surprising and more a reflection of their continued commitment to the Crown.
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