Princess Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie have been left ‘bitterly disappointed’ after being told they would not be welcome at Royal Ascot this summer because of their parents’ links to Jeffrey Epstein, royal sources have revealed.

Traditionally the two siblings would have attended the colourful gathering at the famous Berkshire racecourse, which is one of the highlights of the summer season, and would have been pictured sitting in the Royal Box with other senior royals.

Officials at Ascot describe the event – and in particular the spectacle of the King, Queen and members of the Royal family in horse-drawn carriages parading along the course – as a ‘timeless passage through heritage, memory and pride’.

In the past both Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, have been regulars at Ascot each summer and have been pictured with their royal cousins enjoying the fun day out on several occasions, but this year there will be no shared merriment – with the sisters feeling they are being made to pay for their father’s sins and being forced to lie low.

One royal source told the Daily Mail: ‘The York girls have been informed they can’t be there this year,’ while another source was even more direct: ‘Ascot is out of the question. The royals have been told they can’t be photographed with the girls for the rest of the year.’

Friends say the sisters have been ‘left drained’ by the bitter snub, which comes after both were named extensively in emails written by convicted sex offender and financier Jeffery Epstein, who committed suicide in a New York jail in 2019.

But there is also embarrassment due to the fact their parents – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor the former Duke of York and his ex-wife and the girls’ mother Sarah Ferguson – have also been linked to Epstein.

Last year, both girls and their mother appeared at Royal Ascot, with Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson both there for the opening day.

Princess Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie have been left ‘bitterly disappointed’ after being told they would not be welcome at Royal Ascot this summer

Traditionally the princesses would have attended the colourful gathering at the famous Berkshire racecourse, pictured on Day 2 in 2024, which is one of the highlights of the summer

On Day 3 – Ladies Day – Beatrice was with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, for a second time.

While on day 4, Sarah, Eugenie and her husband, James Brooksbank, attended. Whereas on the last day it was just Eugenie and her husband.

Underlining the pageantry and history of the event, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended every day, while Prince William only appeared once, with his wife Kate pulling out at the last minute.

According to Palace insiders, The Prince and Princess of Wales have already said that they will not attend ‘if any member of the York family are at Ascot this year’.

The source close to the York family said: ‘They’re deeply disappointed. They feel they’re being punished for their parents’ past actions, and that’s very difficult to accept.’

Excluding the siblings on this occasion is part of a broader effort to keep the princesses away from public royal events for the foreseeable future – and both have only been seen briefly since their father’s arrest last month.

Eugenie and Beatrice were spotted in London a few days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested for misconduct in public office at his new home in Sandringham.

He was held for 11 hours before being released under investigation by Thames Valley Police. 

Andrew’s arrest came after the US DOJ released millions of Epstein-related files in January, including emails appearing to show Andrew forwarding confidential reports to the convicted sex offender while serving as Britain’s trade envoy, a position he left in 2011 after being linked to Epstein.

Privately, the impact has been painful, with one Palace insider telling the Daily Mail: ‘Beatrice has taken it the hardest, she’s been completely blindsided by everything that’s happened.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie arrived at Ascot in 2017 with the Royal Family despite a late night out at the V&A Soirée the night before

‘Every new Epstein development feels like another blow. Just when they think things might finally settle down, something else emerges.’

Neither woman has been accused of any wrongdoing and both are trying to focus on their young families and distance themselves from their parents, in particular from their father’s troubles which have left them mortified.

The girls thought they had managed to avoid being tarred with the ‘Epstein brush’ after being invited by King Charles to Sandringham last Christmas for the traditional church service.

Although Eugenie and Beatrice were all smiles with their husbands, Prince William and Kate’s body language towards them was clearly cold and Mike Tindall – husband of their cousin Zara – was the only one who stopped to talk to them.

Royal Ascot started in 1825, the first year a carriage-drawn procession was held, becoming a particular favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth.

John Warren, the late Queen’s racing adviser, once described how the ‘Queen was unbelievably knowledgeable’ about horse racing and would read the Racing Post cover to cover.

In 2013 she made history when her filly, Estimate, won the Gold Cup, making her the first reigning monarch to do so. In total over her reign she had 24 winners.

Speaking of the Gold Cup win, Mr Warren said: ‘When she passed the post, it brought the house down. The Queen was really, really excited. It was a day to remember.’

The princesses are said to have been left drained by the fallout of their parents Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

After the Queen died, King Charles III and Queen Camilla took up the reigns and in 2023 he made his first appearance as monarch in the Royal Procession.

The same year Desert Hero, a horse bred by the Queen, won the King George V stakes giving Charles his first Ascot winner.

Mr Warren said: ‘To actually have a winner in the King’s first year was quite remarkable. The King welled up, tears in his eyes, and the Queen burst into tears.’

Despite weathering numerous damning public scandals, Sarah Ferguson has always prided herself as a ‘very good mother’ to her ‘soulmate’ daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Yet despite taking home a Mother of the Year award in 2007, some sources have suggested that Sarah Ferguson, 66, was perhaps not quite the glowing parent she publicly claimed to be.

According to royal author Andrew Lownie, the former Duchess of York often had ‘trouble controlling her daughters when they were young’ and would typically ‘hand them over to a nanny unless photographers were present’. 

And when the young princesses were involved in six-figure Hello! magazine photoshoots with their mother, childminders were said to have ‘hovered to take the children after each shot’. 

It was ‘completely staged from beginning to end,’ one source told the royal author in his tell-all book, Entitled.

Mr Lownie added: ‘On arrival at public functions, the duchess would grab the children’s hands while smiling for the cameras, then pass them back to their nanny once safely out of view.’

The royal author explained that parents at Marlborough College, where Eugenie studied from 2003 to 2008, also thought it was ‘rather odd’ that Fergie was being publicly perceived as a devoted mother, given her noted absence at the school gates.

Detailing the seeming discrepancy between Fergie’s public claims of maternal devotion and her private absence, one parent told Mr Lownie: ‘I can’t remember the last time I saw either the Duke or the Duchess there.’ 

It comes as speculation has continued to mount surrounding the nature of Sarah’s relationship with her daughters Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, amid growing outrage over her ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

In Beatrice and Eugenie’s childhood years, Fergie allegedly took her young daughters for lavish trips away with her rumoured lovers, according to clairvoyant Madame Vasso.

This ‘also meant that taxpayers had to pick up a bill for several thousand pounds for their two Royal Protection Squad officers,’ Ms Vasso revealed in her book, Fergie: the very private life of the Duchess of York. 

According to royal author Andrew Lownie, the former Duchess of York often had ‘trouble controlling her daughters when they were young’ and would typically ‘hand them over to a nanny unless photographers were present’. Pictured: Fergie with Beatrice and Eugenie in 1997

In Beatrice and Eugenie’s childhood years, Fergie was said to have sparked public backlash for taking her young daughters out of school for lavish trips away with her rumoured lovers, according to clairvoyant Madame Vasso

In January 1992, a tranche of 120 images were discovered of Fergie soaking up the sun with American playboy Steve Wyatt taken in May 1990 during a getaway to Morocco.

One image that garnered significant public attention was then one-year-old Beatrice seen sat on the businessman’s knee – raising serious questions about the nature of Fergie and Steve’s relationship given she was still married to Andrew at that time.

Questions also mounted as to why Fergie had chosen to take her young daughters away on the trip with her rumoured American lover just weeks after the birth of Eugenie.

And, according to Madame Vasso, while the former Duchess was enjoying travelling the world with her ‘financial advisor’ John Bryan in 1992, it ‘angered parents and teachers’ that she had taken Beatrice out of school during term time.

When Fergie and Bryan flew by private jet to the French Riviera with the two young princesses, then aged four and two, that summer, it culminated in a scandal so vast that it would later draw comparisons to the notorious Abdication Crisis.

Lying on a sunbed in St Tropez, Mr Bryan was pictured kissing and sucking Fergie’s toes under the damning headline: ‘Fergie’s Stolen Kisses: Truth About the Duchess and the Texas Millionaire’.

Ms Vasso, who struck up a close bond with the former Duchess, revealed that Fergie had disclosed particular reservations about sending her daughters to school at a young age.

‘I’ve got two lovely girls and what’s the point of sending them to school for months on end?,’ the former Duchess reportedly shared with Ms Vasso.

‘Whenever possible, she took the girls on her travels believing it was good for them to experience new cultures and broaden her horizons,’ she added.

Mr Lownie explained that parents at Marlborough College, where Eugenie studied from 2003 to 2008, also thought it was ‘rather odd’ that Fergie was being publicly perceived as a devoted mother. Pictured: Fergie, Beatrice and Eugenie with nanny Alison Wardley

In January 1992, a tranche of 120 images were discovered of Fergie soaking up the sun with American playboy Steve Wyatt taken in May 1990, just weeks after Eugenie’s birth. Then one-year-old Beatrice was captured sat on the businessman’s knee 

The former Duchess was also said to have been prone to extending her travels away from her young daughters.

In January 1996, Sarah crossed paths with Austrian tennis player Thomas Muster at the Mobil Tennis Open in Qatar – with the pair said to have ‘sipped champagne until three o’clock in the morning’. 

‘Sarah had been due to return home the following day, but at the last minute she cancelled her flight and instead boarded a plane to Sydney to visit her sister, Jane,’ revealed Ms Vasso.

‘I was surprised at the length of time Sarah had now been away, because it meant that Beatrice and Eugenie returned to school after the Christmas holidays without their mother there to ensure all went smoothly,’ she added.

‘I’m sure they must have been disappointed that she wasn’t there.’

Yet despite any suggestions of Fergie’s absence behind the scenes, the former Duchess routinely celebrated her own parenting skills, and in 2011 publicly declared that she was ‘the best mum I know’.

During an interview with Harper’s Bazaar she said that being a good mother was the one thing in her life she had done ‘100 per cent right’ and that when people apparently often ask her about her ‘brand identity’ she answers that she is a ‘global mother’.

In the same year, the proud mother released her biography Finding Sarah, and listed her best qualities as being smart, special, unique, very sensitive, loving, caring and ‘sooo funny’, adding that motherhood was the best job she’s ever done.

Meanwhile, during an interview with The Daily Mail, the former Duchess described her and her daughters as a ‘tripod’ – an interdependent and solid threesome.

In Mr Lownie’s view, Fergie’s intense fixation on motherhood stems from wounds in her own childhood, particularly the sense of abandonment she felt after her mother left her family to move to Argentina in the early seventies when Sarah was just 13. 

This, he argues, sits at the core of her personality and is behind her relentless need for approval, extravagance, and emotional volatility.

Despite any suggestions of Fergie’s absence behind the scenes, the former Duchess routinely celebrated her own parenting skills, and in 2011 publicly declared that she was ‘the best mum I know’

The royal author added: ‘She would later claim, she suffered from insecurity, a feeling of worthlessness, a need to please others, and found it hard to establish stable relationships.’

In September 1998, Fergie’s mother Susan died in horrific circumstances when she was killed by a truck.

The Daily Mail reported at the time that the tragedy was the ‘Darkest day for Fergie’.

While Fergie and her daughters have often stressed a public display of unity, their relationship has no doubt been rocked by the recent Epstein scandal which culminated in Andrew’s arrest on suspicion of public office on his 66th birthday.

A royal source previously told The Daily Mail that both Beatrice and Eugenie are standing by their mother despite the catastrophic damage her emails to Epstein have caused them. 

The former Duchess of York was said to have taken the young princesses to visit Epstein just five days after the disgraced financer was released from prison for child sex crimes. 

At the time of the visit, Beatrice and Eugenie would have been aged 20 and 19 respectively.

A royal insider previously told The Daily Mail that the release of the emails had ‘put new strains’ on Beatrice and Eugenie’s relationship with their mother. 

‘The last I heard the daughters were still supporting both parents behind the scenes,’ the insider added.

The sisters are said to be ‘aghast’ and ’embarrassed’ by what the Epstein Files have revealed about their parents’ relationship with such an ‘appalling’ man.

But the Daily Mail’s royal insider said they love their parents, leaving them in a terrible ‘bind’ because Andrew and Fergie have dragged them into Epstein’s world and ‘contaminated’ their own brands.

A source close to the sisters said: ‘They are aghast at what they have read. They are mortified by the emails their mother has sent to Epstein. It is so embarrassing for them.

‘We don’t believe the girls [Beatrice and Eugenie] were told much about what has just emerged [in the latest Epstein files release], and they will simply be aghast at just how close their parents were to this appalling man.’ 

Princess Eugenie was spotted on a solo outing in London today, just days after the arrest of her father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The daughter of the former Duke and Duchess of York, 35, looked to pass incognito in dark glasses, a long dark green coat and heels as she carried a paper shopping bag.

The 12th-in-line to the throne was occupied on her phone when she was photographed in Kensington, central London, carrying a cream handbag on her right shoulder.

She is the only member of the family that has been seen in public since Andrew spent 11 hours in police custody last Thursday – with the whereabouts of her mother Sarah Ferguson still a mystery.

The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday, with officers from Thames Valley Police carrying out days of searches at his former home of Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Officers also spent the day searching his new property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk before Andrew was released under investigation. 

He is accused of sharing sensitive information with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein during his time as UK’s special representative for international trade and investment.

Following Andrew’s arrest, ex-US ambassador Peter Mandelson was also detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday before being released on bail.

Princess Eugenie was spotted on a solo outing in Kensington, London today, days after her father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest

She was seen wearing a long dark green coat, heals, dark sunglasses and carrying a handbag on her right shoulder

The 12th-in-line to the throne was occupied on her phone – as the whereabouts of her mother, Sarah Ferguson, remain unknown

It is the second time Eugenie has been seen in public since last week’s events, which are said to have left her and her sister, Beatrice, 37, devastated. 

She ventured out for a coffee in Notting Hill with her husband Jack Brooksbank on Tuesday, dressed casually in Nike trainers, blue leggings, a jacket and a North Face baseball cap.

Meanwhile Beatrice and the sisters’ mother, Sarah Ferguson, have been nowhere to be seen until now. 

Ferguson has spent time in recent months in the French Alps, UAE and an exclusive clinic in Zurich – but her current whereabouts are unknown. 

Eugenie had been holidaying in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Gstaad with her family last week when her father was arrested – and is said to have been ‘in a state’. 

Her parents Andrew and Fergie feature heavily among the three million pages of Epstein files which were released by the US Department of Justice last month.

Fergie’s emails to the paedophile financier revealed she took Eugenie and Beatrice to visit Epstein days after his release from prison for child prostitution offences.

Other messages from Fergie to Epstein even talked about Eugenie’s sex life, declaring in one that the princess had been away on a ‘sh*gging weekend’ when she was 19.

Eugenie was spotted in Switzerland last week by diners at the exclusive Restaurant Waldmatte in Gstaad, with Mr Brooksbank and their sons August and Ernest.

One who saw her at lunch told Hello! Magazine: ‘I was surprised to see her because I thought she would be keeping a low-profile in light of everything that has been going on.’

It is the second time Eugenie has been seen in public since last week’s events, which are said to have left her and her sister, Beatrice, 37, devastated 

Andrew is pictured being driven away from a police station after his release following being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19, 2026

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are photographed while out for a coffee in Notting Hill, London on Tuesday

The family were with friends who had also joined them at the eatery with a large terrace and impressive views of the Alps, although they opted to stay inside.

Earlier this month, Eugenie left the UK for Qatar where she appeared in public for the first time since the new Epstein files were released.

She is a director of art dealer Hauser & Wirth and was working at a high-end contemporary art fair in Doha.

Eugenie and Beatrice were previously said to be ‘aghast’ at their mother’s embarrassing tranche of emails to Epstein.

These included emails begging for flight upgrades on a trip to visit the convicted paedophile in the US just days after his release from jail.

Other exchanges show he helped pay off her debts and offered advice as she struggled with her finances.

Ferguson also sent emails to the financier saying ‘marry me’ and described him as the ‘brother I have always wished for’ and a ‘supreme friend’.

Sources close to the sisters also said they were ‘appalled’ and ’embarrassed’ about photos of their father crouching over a mystery woman lying on the floor in Epstein’s New York mansion.

Despite being stripped of his title last year, the former duke of York is still eighth in line to the throne, and an Act of Parliament would be required to remove Andrew and prevent him from ever becoming king.

The UK Government is expected to consider introducing such legislation once police have finished their investigation into the King’s disgraced brother.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are confronting their disgraced father’s explosive arrest as the sisters may soon face a fight for their royal futures.

The former Prince Andrew, 66, was arrested Thursday — his birthday — on suspicion of misconduct in public office during an inquiry linked to his ties with Jeffrey Epstein. He is accused of sharing confidential trade information with the late convicted sex offender.

The late Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite son is the first senior British royal to be arrested since King Charles I nearly 400 years ago. After being held for about 11 hours, Thames Valley Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that Andrew was later released.

“While both daughters were loyal to their parents, they now face the untenable choice of whether salvaging their own futures must prevail, given even their maiden York name is so toxic,” British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital.

“They have been understandably distressed by the Epstein file contents regarding both their parents, but will no doubt create even more visible distance from their parents while perhaps still supporting them privately,” Fordwich shared. 

“They now have tough decisions to make. All children faced with the despicable behavior of their parents have to make such a choice.”

Fordwich’s statements came shortly after People magazine reported that the York sisters are attempting to navigate the family’s latest fallout. While Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, have maintained a close relationship with their parents, the dynamic is shifting.

“They’re trying to stay away from it,” a source told the outlet. “They have young children, and this is their grandfather — their focus is on protecting their own children from this.”

In addition to protecting their young children from the scrutiny, “they’re also putting pieces of the puzzle together in real time and realizing they may have been used,” the source claimed.

“That has to feel like a complete betrayal. They’re heartbroken — but a dad is still your dad, and a mom is still your mom. Love for a parent isn’t a light switch. It’s an incredibly painful and introspective moment for them.”

The whereabouts of Beatrice and Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, remain unclear. The Daily Mail reported that she was last publicly seen leaving Royal Lodge, her ex-husband’s former 30-room estate, in September. 

Although they divorced in 1996, the pair continued living there. Her last social media post, also in September, commemorated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Ferguson’s spokesperson for comment.

Fordwich is adamant that the sisters have a tough road ahead of them as working royals.

“Only total nitwits wouldn’t see that their parents’ close association with a convicted pedophile would be totally toxic to the monarchy, indeed, in society at all,” she explained. “If one’s parents behave so despicably, those of age have tough choices to make.”

“Andrew has been dependent upon his daughters for emotional support, which to date hasn’t wavered. But they are most likely not to appear publicly with him again.”

“They may try to continue their charitable work, but those charities are unlikely to want to be associated with such a family,” Fordwich warned.

To date, Eugenie and Beatrice have not released a public statement — unlike their uncle, King Charles III. Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he isn’t surprised.

“Eugenie and Beatrice will keep a low profile for a few weeks while The Firm decides what will happen next,” he said. “Obviously, the charities they support will be very anxious about any ongoing negative brand issues related to their father. It doesn’t help that Sarah has fallen off the radar.”

“The temperature at the palace is off the scale,” he said. “A YouGov opinion poll has revealed that 78% of those questioned want Andrew held accountable in both the U.K. and America.”

On Friday, police continued searching Andrew’s former home. The British government is also considering whether to formally remove him from the line of succession. 

Despite being stripped of his princely title in October and now facing a police investigation, Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne — a change that would require new legislation.

“The government is considering any further steps that might be required, and we’re not ruling anything out,” announced James Murray, the government’s chief secretary to the Treasury.

The last time a royal was removed from the line of succession was after the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936. The law was changed to remove him and any descendants from the list.

Fordwich pointed out that the king wanted to protect his nieces from the public scrutiny surrounding their father. However, the crown must always come first.

“King Charles has wanted to project his charitable, forgiving nature by including both girls at public family events,” she said. “He is profoundly concerned about them. But the institution must be protected first. Still, he doesn’t want to punish his nieces for their father’s debauchery.”

Andrew appears in multiple documents among the 3 million pages related to Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice, including emails from Ferguson referencing their daughters. Inclusion in those files does not imply wrongdoing.

People reported that Andrew sent Epstein family Christmas cards in 2011 and 2012 featuring photos of Beatrice and Eugenie.

Epstein was convicted in 2008 on one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of procuring a minor for prostitution. He served 13 months in jail and died in custody in 2019.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged that Epstein trafficked her to Andrew for sex when she was 17, filed a civil lawsuit in 2021. The case was settled out of court in 2022, with Andrew admitting no wrongdoing.

Giuffre, 41, died in 2025. Her posthumous memoir reiterated her claims.

Fordwich said that the sisters will likely continue to keep a low profile as their father’s scandals are dealt with by the law.

“Their only chance of any sort of inclusion in the royal family is if they remain scandal-free, as well as totally and utterly supportive of the royal family, hence the choices they must make,” said Fordwich.

“Eugenie was skiing in Switzerland when her father was being arrested,” Fordwich shared. “Best she sticks to that. Prince William, their cousin, will not bow to sentiment like his father. His focus as heir to the throne will be on the long-term survival of the monarchy. He will enforce a tougher stance, limiting all non-working royals.”

“Prince William is well known to have zero tolerance for any reputational risk,” Fordwich added.

Andrew announced in October that he was giving up his royal titles, and the palace confirmed later that month that the king had “initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew.”

The decision followed Andrew’s initial step back from public life in 2019 after his BBC interview, in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. On Feb. 3, Andrew vacated Royal Lodge, three months after the king ordered him to surrender his lease.

A spokesperson for Ferguson previously told The Guardian: “The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims.”

According to People, Ferguson had planned to “forge an independent life” away from her ex-husband. It’s understood she would be spending time abroad as she contemplated her next move. A spokesperson for the former Duchess of York had no comment for the outlet about her current location.

Police said Andrew was released under investigation, meaning he has neither been charged nor exonerated.