Princess Eugenie celebrated Father's Day this year with a heartwarming tribute that was noticeably missing her father, Andrew-Mountbatten Windsor.
The royal took to Instagram on Sunday to praise her husband Jack Brooksbank as the "best there is" and gushed that their two sons August and Ernest "couldn't ask for a better Dada". Eugenie shared ultra-rare photos from their private family album, including a picture of Jack walking hand in hand with their boys and a second photograph of her long-time husband crouching down in a church pew to entertain one of their sons at a wedding.
The Princess of York resurfaced on social media to mark the special occasion in one of just three posts from this year. However, her Father's Day post avoided any mention or photos of King Charles' younger brother, Andrew. While Eugenie celebrated her sister Princess Beatrice's birthday in August, she did not publicly post for her father's 66th birthday in February or Mother's Day in March either.
© InstagramAndrew's retreat from royal life
The disgraced former Duke of York has retreated from royal life in recent months amid renewed scrutiny over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was recently banned from attending last week's Garter Day events after he was removed as a Knight of the Garter last year.
After Andrew was stripped of his titles last year, he relocated from his long-time home in Windsor, Royal Lodge, to Marsh Farm in Sandringham in April. He has since kept an ultra-low profile on the estate in Norfolk. However, according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, he escaped his exile in Sandringham last month for a weekend-long stay in France from 30 May to 1 June.
Keeping a low profile
While her parents have stepped back from public life, Eugenie and her sister Beatrice have resurfaced on several rare occasions this year. The Princesses joined other members of the royal family earlier this month in the Cotswolds for Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips' wedding to NHS nurse Harriet Sperling.
Eugenie and Beatrice were joined by their respective husbands, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, for the celebratory day as they were pictured arriving at All Saints Church for the royal wedding.
Andrew's daughters then travelled to Vienna for the wedding of the Schwarzenberg family a week later. Eugenie and Beatrice were seen outside St. Charles Church.
© Getty ImagesRoyals mark Father's Day
Members of the royal family celebrated Father's Day this year with a plethora of heartwarming posts, including a resurfaced photograph of a young King Charles with his late father, Prince Philip. "Celebrating all Fathers, and thinking of those who wish they could be with their Dads, today," the royal family account captioned the tribute.
This year's annual holiday was a double celebration for Prince William, whose 44th birthday fell on the same date. Kensington Palace released a never-before-seen picture of the Prince of Wales with his daughter, Princess Charlotte, 11, to mark the occasion. William was beaming with his arm around his daughter in the Kensington Palace gardens after returning from Trooping the Colour on 13 June.
"Happy birthday and Father's Day to the best Papa in the World! We love you very much. C, G, C & L [pink hearts]," the post, shared to the official Prince and Princess of Wales Instagram account, was signed off with the Princess of Wales, Prince George, Charlotte and Prince Louis' initials.
Across the pond, Meghan Markle shared a rare family photo of Prince Harry with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. In the wholesome photograph, doting dad Harry crouched on the ground and gave his two children a big hug.
"They’re so lucky to have you," the Duchess of Sussex gushed. "We all are. Happy Father’s Day to our one and only."
