As King Charles's brother, Andrew, faces the loss of his titles and a move of residence, his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, continue with their lives, reassured that they will not face any repercussions.
This week has brought major changes for the royal family: Andrew was officially stripped of all titles, honours, and orders, and will move from his 30-room Windsor mansion to a smaller property on the Sandringham estate, privately funded by His Majesty. He will no longer share a home with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who will make her own living arrangements.
Despite the upheaval, Beatrice and Eugenie have remained focused on their own lives. Princess Eugenie was pictured smiling during a trip to Paris with two girlfriends, while Princess Beatrice attended the Future Investment Initiative event in Riyadh with her tech firm, Affinity.
In this week’s audio-only episode, The Banishment of Andrew, HELLO!'s royal editor Emily Nash explains to co-host Andrea Caamano why the sisters have the backing of their uncle, the King, and cousin William, and why they deserve public sympathy while facing scrutiny over their parents.
"[Princess] Eugenie was in Paris with some girlfriends, [Princess] Beatrice was in Saudi Arabia at a tech summit in Riyadh. We believe that's with her tech firm, Affinity. I mean, what do you do when your parents are being so publicly humiliated and are in the eye of the storm?" Emily tells Andrea.
"You have to have some sympathy for them. And I think we've seen that compassion coming from the King and the Prince of Wales. It's been made clear that they’re not going to be punished for things beyond their control. This is not something of their doing," Emily adds.
© Getty ImagesDespite their parents losing their titles, Emily clarifies that Beatrice and Eugenie will retain theirs. "They’re retaining their titles as the daughters of a son of a sovereign. They’re technically still princesses. That's not changing."
Following reports that the princesses were threatened by Prince William with losing their titles if they did not persuade their father to leave Royal Lodge, Emily calls those claims "categorically untrue."
"No, that's not the case at all," she says of Prince William's reported threats. "There was a story going around earlier in the week saying that he basically put pressure on them, saying, 'You have to persuade your father to leave or we'll look at your titles.' I'm told that’s categorically untrue."
© WireImageElsewhere in the episode, Emily discusses whether this outcome would have been different if the late Queen Elizabeth II were alive, explains why King Charles is taking the lead regarding Andrew, and look ahead to her upcoming trip to Rio with Prince William for the Earthshot Prize.
