This year, the Easter service at St. George’s Chapel will be marked by two notable absences. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will not attend the family gathering led by King Charles III at Windsor, and the reason is not just a scheduling conflict.
According to palace sources, both princesses decided to make “alternative plans” for that day, although the same sources were quick to clarify that the princesses will indeed attend future family events.
For her part, Beatrice will spend Easter Sunday with the family of her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Andrew scandal and the Epstein files
The decision comes weeks after new documents in the Epstein case were released that directly mention their father, Prince Andrew, and their mother, Sarah Ferguson.
Last month, several media outlets reported that Beatrice and Eugenie were “utterly horrified” by their father’s arrest on February 19, when Thames Valley Police officers showed up at his residence in Sandringham to question him about alleged leaks of confidential information to pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the Daily Mail, the princesses were discussing their next steps among themselves and possibly with King Charles, who, according to sources close to the family, remains very protective of his nieces.
What makes this situation even more complicated is that Beatrice and Eugenie are not only dealing with an emotional blow. They are also vulnerable to repercussions in terms of their image and their position within the institution.
Last year, both attended the Easter service along with Andrew and Sarah. This year, none of the four will be in attendance.
For his part, Andrew plans to move to Marsh Farm in Sandringham before Easter, following his eviction from Royal Lodge. Furthermore, Ferguson has not appeared in public since she was evicted from that residence in February. The entire family is going through a quiet process of restructuring that is not yet complete.
Meanwhile, the British government is reportedly preparing measures to remove Andrew from the line of succession to the throne, which would make him the first member of the royal family to be forcibly removed from it.