In Klosters in January 1995, I saw something small but telling in the young Prince who would one day shape the monarchy. The snow was crisp, the cameras ready, and the four cousins – William, Harry, Beatrice and Eugenie – lined up for the traditional skiing photocall.
I, then with the Daily Express, asked a couple of pre-arranged question: "How were they enjoying the holiday? Who was the best skier?"
Harry, wearing a bandana, smirked. Little, he looked set to seize the moment. But before he could speak, William – thirteen, composed and already aware of the weight of a single sentence – cut in. The holiday was "good fun" and his cousins, "improving" and "very good skiers."
A simple line, but a revealing one: calm, protective, instinctive. Beatrice and Eugenie smiled.
© Getty ImagesMoments earlier they had waited as little Eugenie holding her skis – then just four –wobbled, fell into the snow, and tried to gather herself. "Eugie, come on, get up," Beatrice urged.
William then went over, gallant and unshowy, and helped her to her feet the second time she slipped. Harry, in a bandana; the girls in red; the boys dropping to one knee then posed – a frozen moment of childhood, hierarchy, and early responsibility.
© GettyWilliam's steady guiding hand
Nearly three decades on, the backdrop is very different. The brothers are estranged. The girls' father now plain Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor engulfed by the Epstein scandal that has been his downfall. And once again, the cousins William shielded on that Swiss slope need a steady guiding hand.
"William's position is direct: Beatrice and Eugenie must not be punished for their father's alleged sins," Robert Jobson
Those close to him say he is weary of the hysteria around Andrew. The outrage. The noise. The moral grandstanding. His position is direct: Beatrice and Eugenie must not be punished for their father's alleged sins.
Necessary action was taken – by King Charles, in consultation with his eldest son and heir – and it had to be. This is not sentimentality. It is judgment. Accountability belongs to Andrew, not to his daughters.
William's vision for his monarchy
William is not interested in reopening old wounds. His focus is forward; and forward includes the York sisters.
"Beatrice and Eugenie's titles were never in doubt," Robert Jobson
A slimmed-down monarchy still needs depth. Beatrice and Eugenie bring steadiness, purpose, and no theatrics. Dyslexia advocacy. Anti-slavery work. Uncomplaining attendance at state occasions and extra smiles Catherine's carol service. Their restraint has earned quiet public respect.
Their titles were never in doubt. Both the King and Prince William know the difference between disciplining a disgraced man and stripping identity from two women who have shown loyalty in the hardest years.
The whole version of Robert's article can be read online right now by paid members of The HELLO! Royal Club. Click on the button below to find out more.
Or to read the full analysis in print, pick up a copy of HELLO! magazine out now.
