Princess Beatrice has shared a major update this week and it’s reportedly all down to a secret negotiation King Charles had with her disgraced father Andrew Mountbatten Windsor
When Buckingham Palace released a blistering statement announcing that the former Prince Andrew’s titles and royal honours would be officially removed, it soon became clear that his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, would be spared the same fate.
Keeping their princess titles, the pair have avoided being totally mired by the controversies surrounding their parents, but they will never inherit the valuable lease that Andrew owned on Royal Lodge. The former Duke finally agreed to move out of the palatial 30-room property near Windsor Castle, which he had shared with his ex-wife, Sarah, for many years, giving up any chance the sisters had of inheriting it one day.
Andrew, it is understood, will be moving to Sandringham, King Charles’s private estate in Norfolk. Sarah Ferguson will not be moving with him, however, to the vast 20,000-acre estate, instead making her own way elsewhere.
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Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie broke cover in West London last week, when they were photographed hugging each other tightly in the street. Body language expert Judi James told the Mirror, “it looks pretty obvious that Eugenie and Beatrice are obtaining some much-needed support and comfort from each other while family relationships implode around them.”
The expert added, “Their parting hug makes them look vulnerable and in need of comfort here. Eugenie clings with both arms round her sister’s waist while Beatrice gently strokes Eugenie’s back while their chins rest on each other’s shoulders in a ritual that would normally suggest distress or even grief.”
But amid the ongoing scandal, Beatrice has been handed a new, high-profile role: becoming deputy patron of Outward Bound, a charity that helps young people achieve their potential through outdoor activities and adventures. Her uncle, Prince Edward, is the now royal patron of the charity, a position that the late Prince Philip previously held for many years.
Beatrice attended an event for the charity at St. James’s Palace, alongside Prince Edward, and it is reported that King Charles fully approves of her appointment, and that it was allegedly part of negotiations with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor that his daughters would be allowed to take on some royal work.
Royal expert, Ingrid Seward, told The Sun that Charles is actively trying to bring his nieces into the fold. “What it means to my mind, is that the king is determined to embrace his nieces, both Beatrice and Eugenie and bring them into the royal fold in a way where they don’t feel they’re just being gratuitously pulled in, but they’re actually doing something for it.”
Seward added: “I think that Charles feels quite responsible for these two girls, because it’s been a hideous time for them. Really hideous.”
The expert continued that Eugenie’s recent attendance at an event for King Charles’s charity, The King’s Foundation, was a “very strong signal” of the monarch’s support.
Outward Bound has made it clear that Beatrice’s new position as deputy patron is warmly welcomed. “With the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Beatrice working alongside us, we’re embarking on a new chapter,” said Martin Davidson, chief executive.
“One where every young person has the chance to test their limits, build confidence and discover that anything is possible. Their support reflects a shared belief that adventure changes lives.”
