Prince William’s relationship with his cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie has been subject to much speculation – but Jennie Bond believes one moment made the Prince of Wales’s feelings about his relatives clear
It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment at one of the biggest royal gatherings of the year.
As the Royal Family turned out en masse to celebrate the wedding of Peter Phillips to his new wife, Harriet, Prince William was seen greeting his cousins outside the church.
And in one telling moment, the future King was seen warmly greeting Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, giving Beatrice a kiss on the cheek.
The move has been seen as significant amid continued speculation about the state of William’s relationship with his cousins, given the scandal their disgraced father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has brought to the Firm.
And for former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, the move showed William making his feelings very clear. She told the Mirror : “I think there’s an interesting comparison to be made between the way William greeted his cousins at the wedding and his obvious contempt for their father at the Duchess of Kent‘s funeral.
“William does sometimes seem to wear his heart on his sleeve, so I think we can conclude that he doesn’t hold Beatrice and Eugenie responsible in any way for their parents’ sins.
“He knew the cameras were there, and he made a point of greeting them warmly. It must have been quite emotional for the princesses, who were already braving the lion in the den by appearing at such a high-profile event.”
In recent months, Beatrice and Eugenie have had to endure headline after headline about their dad, the former Duke of York and their mother, Sarah Ferguson, and their association with paedophile billionaire, Jeffrey Epstein. The former prince has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The princesses also faced scrutiny when their names appeared in the recent Jeffrey Epstein files, with one email exchange suggesting their mother took them to see the convicted sex offender in the US days after he was released from prison for child sex crimes. Being named in the Epstein files does not imply any wrongdoing.
And Jennie added: “I’m sure William has a lot of sympathy for his cousins. He knows exactly what it’s like to be the child of parents who are constantly in the headlines – in his case, it was the breakup of Charles and Diana‘s marriage that made the news for many years.
“He also cares a great deal about mental health, and I’m sure he will appreciate that Beatrice and Eugenie have been under immense pressure for a long time now. And that must have taken its toll on their mental strength.
“From the display of affection we saw at the wedding, it seems likely that William has been, and remains, a sympathetic ear for the Princesses’ woes.”
Last week, there was more scrutiny after it emerged that neither Beatrice nor Eugenie personally pays rent for their homes in royal palaces – despite not being working royals.
It had been understood that they paid market rent for their London homes, with Beatrice having an apartment in St James’ Palace and Eugenie having a cottage within the Kensington Palace grounds.
But a new investigation by the National Audit Office has shown that the sisters do not pay anything, with the cost being picked up by the Privy Purse – the King’s private income from the Duchy of Lancaster. It comes amid reports that Prince William is ready to make changes to royal property arrangements when he becomes King.
Jennie explained: “I still don’t think that William will invite Beatrice and Eugenie to carry out official royal duties in the future. I think he’s right to keep the core group of working Royals as tight as possible because of the implications for the public purse.
“And I suspect that neither of the princesses will be living in Royal palaces in the future – or, if they are, I think it will be made clear that they are paying their own market value rent.”
