Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been invited to Royal Ascot this summer by King Charles, but royal author Robert Jobson has urged them to stay away amid scrutiny over their parents
Beatrice and Eugenie have been urged to ‘stay away’ from a royal event(Image: Getty)
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been advised to “stay away” from a prominent royal occasion. It was revealed this week that King Charles has extended an invitation to the York sisters for Royal Ascot this summer.
This follows the decision that Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 36, would not attend the Easter Matins service at Windsor this weekend. The sisters have reportedly been maintaining a low profile following a string of allegations about their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, which surfaced in the so-called Epstein Files.
While the pair won’t be at St George’s Chapel for the traditional Easter Sunday service, it’s understood they may join senior royals in the carriage procession at the five-day racing fixture. The Sun reported that the duo could even attend the exclusive Royal Enclosure.
However, royal author Robert Jobson has advised Beatrice and Eugenie to avoid Ascot given the scrutiny their parents are facing. He claims the Epstein scandal is “dark, murky and won’t go away”.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive podcast, Jobson said: “I think they’ve got to stay away. I think they have to stay away. You’re just drawing attention to them.”
Beatrice and Eugenie won’t attend the Windsor Easter service(Image: Getty)
“As soon as they’re in the carriage with someone at Ascot, we’ll all be focusing on what they’re wearing, what they’re doing and who is with them.” TalkTV news commentator Samara Gill suggested the York sisters have been “tarnished with the Epstein brush”. She added: “I don’t think there’s any getting out of that or rinsing themselves of that for a very long time.
“They socially mountaineered themselves into good marriages and they can just afford to go off and live their own life.”
Meanwhile, author Harry Mount this week suggested that Andrew’s hopes for his daughters to undertake royal duties appear to have been extinguished. He maintains, however, that the York sisters will continue to receive invitations to royal occasions.
Eugenie at Ascot in 2025(Image: Getty)
“Any prospect of royal duties – which [their father Andrew] Mountbatten-Windsor is reported to desire for them – are finished,” Mount writes in the i newspaper. “Of course, they will attend major royal occasions: weddings, christenings, funerals and coronations. But the high-profile opportunities like the Easter church service at Sandringham are finished.”
Andrew’s aspirations for his daughters to assume a significant role in royal life have been well documented. In 2023 an insider told the Express: “Andrew has helped orchestrate a slow and gradual return for the girls, which has seen them do more and more charity work alongside school visits and other duties.
Beatrice also attended Ascot last year(Image: Getty)
“The plan was to slowly increase their appearances over time until they became more prominent members of the family. They have realised that the girls are needed and have latched onto that like a limpet on a rock.”
However, recent controversies surrounding their parents seem to have damaged those chances. Andrew’s connections to Epstein, coupled with his reported ties to an alleged Chinese spy, have sparked continuing public unease. In recent years, royal engagements have sometimes been greeted with small but vocal demonstrations questioning what the King knew about his brother’s conduct, and when.