Prince Andrew behind plan for Beatrice and Eugenie to be senior royals | Royal | News | Express.co.uk
EXCLUSIVE: Prince Andrew’s family are struggling to get their voices heard since the Duke’s fall from grace.
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The Duke of York wants to bring his daughters to forefront of royal life (Image: Getty)
While it is highly unlikely that Prince Andrew will ever return as a working member of the Royal Family, the Duke of York has been pulling strings behind the scenes in recent months to manoeuvre his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie back into the foreground.
However, sources reveal that as the Yorks reach the final hurdle, they’ve hit a firm and solid barrier within Palace walls which has stopped them dead in their tracks.
The source said: “Andrew has basically been stripped of his office so it’s very difficult for the Yorks to get their voices heard.
“They feel like they’ve lost any power they once had and total control of their own narrative.
“Although Andrew has a skeletal staff and the girls [Beatrice and Eugenie] have their own Assistant Private Secretary, they are still very much governed by the Palace which is a very different scenario to when Andrew had his own working office.”
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Prince Andrew was spectacularly stripped of his royal patronages and military titles in early 2022 following the Virginia Roberts scandal – allegations he has repeatedly and vehemently denied.
And, although there is no disagreement over whether the Duke of York should return to the heart of the family, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie remain a bone of contention within the Royal Family.
“Andrew has helped orchestrate a slow and gradual return for the girls which has seen them do more and more charity work alongside school visits and other duties” the source said.
“The plan was to slowly increase their appearances over time until they became more prominent members of the family. They have realised that the girls are needed and have latched onto that like a limpet on a rock.”
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are increasing their royal workload (Image: Getty)
Sources add that although there is growing feeling within Palace circles that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie should become working members of the Royal Family to plug the gap in a struggling slimmed-down monarchy, King Charles is said to be firmly against the idea.
“It’s more the advisers than the King himself who are against the idea of Eugenie and Beatrice becoming working members of the royal family,” the source said.
“People forget too easily that when the sisters were taking on more responsibility some years ago, they were heavily criticised for taking too many holidays or spending too much public money on security and other perks.”
The source adds that because of this perceived abuse of power, senior aides are concerned that “the monarchy will be criticised for giving too much responsibility to a sub-section of the family who shouldn’t be given their seat back at the table”.
Despite divided factions within the royal household over whether the York sisters should be given that final push into full working royal status, sources say that their father Prince Andrew won’t give up until they are firmly rooted back in the fold.
“What went on with Andrew had absolutely nothing to do with the girls. There are some members of the family who believe they should be kept down because of it while others think they should be given a chance,” the source said.
“Either way, Andrew has been feverishly networking behind the scenes to ensure his daughters are included again and he won’t give up until they are viewed as senior members of the family.”
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