Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have reportedly been barred from attending this year’s Royal Ascot amid renewed scrutiny surrounding their parents’ links to Jeffrey Epstein.
According to a report, Beatrice and Eugenie will not join the royal family at the annual horse racing event in June and are also expected to be absent from the traditional royal procession.
A source told the Daily Mail, “I’ve spoken to my friend who works at Ascot, and they said the girls have been told they can’t be there this year.” The insider added, “Beatrice has taken it the hardest. She’s been completely blindsided by all of this.”
The development follows ongoing controversy surrounding their father, the former Prince Andrew, and their mother, Sarah Ferguson. Andrew stepped back from public royal duties in 2019 after a BBC interview in which he addressed his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide that year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Andrew has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in relation to allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was made to have sex with him at 17. He later settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum. In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped him of his military titles and patronages, and he subsequently relinquished the use of royal titles.
Last month, Andrew was arrested and detained for 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Meanwhile, Ferguson’s past communications with Epstein have resurfaced in documents released by the United States Department of Justice.
A source said Beatrice and Eugenie have been trying to “stay away” from the controversy, adding, “They have young children, and this is their grandfather; their focus is on protecting their own children from this.”
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