As pressure grows on the royal family to back a move to formally strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom through parliamentary legislation, after he relinquished use of his Duke of York title on Friday, what does the decision mean for his daughters? Buckingham Palace confirmed that the titles of Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, are unaffected, with both Andrew and the King thought to want to ensure they would retain them.
As male-line grandchildren of the British sovereign, then Queen Elizabeth II, Beatrice and Eugenie were known as "Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice / Eugenie of York" from birth. Since her marriage to Jack Brooksbank in 2018, Eugenie has been styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank, while Beatrice has been styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, since her marriage to the property developer in 2020. Neither Jack nor Edoardo were given titles after marrying into the royal family.
While Prince Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, will not join the royal family for Christmas, it's understood that Beatrice and Eugenie will be welcome to join the gathering at Sandringham and other royal family events, it is understood.
Both princesses have carved out their own full-time careers, with Beatrice working for tech firm, Afiniti, and Eugenie a director at Hauser & Wirth art gallery. Beatrice, who is ninth-in-line to the throne, has a number of royal patronages, including the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity.
Eugenie, 12th in line to the throne, is also a patron of several charities, including the Elephant Family, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the European School of Osteopathy, and also co-founded the Anti-Slavery Collective charity. She also became a mentor for The King's Foundation's 35 under 35 network of changemakers earlier this year.
Both princesses are mothers, with Eugenie sharing sons, August, four, and Ernest, two, with husband Jack. Beatrice is mother to four-year-old Sienna and nine-month-old Athena, while she also has a stepson, Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, nine, from Edoardo's previous relationship.