A royal expert believes the princesses will not attend their cousin Peter Phillips’ wedding after fresh allegations emerged about their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie may not attend their cousin Peter Phillips’ wedding in June after new allegations came to light about their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
On Friday, Thames Valley Police revealed it had widened its investigation into the former prince after allegations emerged that he behaved inappropriately towards a woman at Royal Ascot in 2002.
In light of the recent update on the investigation into Andrew, his daughters have again been thrust into the spotlight, as the royal sisters were reportedly just weeks away from attending their cousin’s wedding. Beatrice and Eugenie were expected to join the Royal Family in Cirencester on June 6 to celebrate the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling.
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But now, with the former prince Andrew once again embroiled in a scandal, a royal expert believes that Beatrice and Eugenie’s attendance at the wedding is up in the air.
Tom Sykes for The Royalist said that the royal sisters are mortified “all over again” by the latest developments around their father and do not want to overshadow Peter and Harriet’s special day.
A source told the expert that Beatrice and Eugenie would “never want to overshadow the bride and groom’s happy day”, and are still undecided if they will attend the private nuptials. The source added that their attendance was “never concrete”.
The insider also believes that the princesses won’t attend Royal Ascot later this summer, as they keep a low profile in the wake of their parents’ ongoing scandals.
While the Royalist insider believes Beatrice and Eugenie will not attend Peter Phillips’ wedding, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes that the princesses have a good relationship with their cousin, and the Royal Family has vowed to maintain a good relationship with them.
Jennie told the Mirror: “There will inevitably be some interest in Beatrice and Eugenie if they are guests at the wedding, but not enough to detract from the bride and groom in any major way. They are first cousins of Peter and have always had a good relationship.
“I don’t think Peter would feel that the alleged sins of Andrew and Sarah should be visited on their daughters, who have not been accused of doing anything wrong.”
“Beatrice and Eugenie are going through an incredibly tough time in their lives, and I think their wider family is determined to stay true to their promise that the women will always be included,” Jennie said.
On Friday, Thames Valley Police revealed they are looking into allegations that the ex-prince behaved inappropriately towards a woman at Royal Ascot. The alleged incident is said to have happened at the racing event in Berkshire in 2002.
That year, Royal Ascot was attended by the late-Queen Elizabeth II with other senior royals during the year of her Golden Jubilee. It is not clear whether the claim about alleged inappropriate behaviour by Andrew was reported to officers at the time or more recently, The Sunday Times reported.
A Thames Valley Police (TVP) spokesperson told the Mirror: “We cannot go into specifics of the investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry.” The force is continuing its investigation into the ex-duke and confirmed they will consider allegations of sexual misconduct in their inquiry into potential misconduct in public office.
