Why Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Missed Easter with the Royals Despite Spending Christmas with the Family

Stephanie PetitSun, April 5, 2026 at 11:17 AM UTC

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Princess Beatrice (left) and Princess Eugenie on Sept. 14, 2023Credit: Dave Benett/Getty -

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie did not attend the royal family’s Easter church outing this year after joining the family for Christmas

It’s understood that, with the agreement and understanding of their uncle King Charles, the sisters made alternative plans for the holiday despite spending Easter with the royals in 2025

The daughters of the former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have kept a low profile amid their parents’ recent scandals

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie spent Easter privately this year.

It was revealed earlier this week that the daughters of the former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson would not join their uncle King Charles and other members of the royal family for the annual Easter church outing. Instead, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie made alternative plans for the holiday with the agreement and understanding of the monarch.

It's understood that Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 36, are expected to join future family celebrations despite their parents' recent scandals. The sisters, along with their husbands, joined King Charles at the royal family's traditional Christmas church outing in December.

From left: Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice at Christmas with the royals in 2025Credit: Henry NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty

Andrew and Ferguson, both 66, attended Easter with the royals last year, along with their daughters. However, the former Duke and Duchess of York have retreated from the public eye amid renewed scrutiny over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew stepped back from his public royal role in 2019 following a BBC interview in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. However, it wasn't until October 2025 that King Charles announced he was stripping his brother's royal titles and honors amid renewed criticism, which intensified amid newly unveiled email exchanges with Epstein and the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of having sex with her on three occasions beginning when she was 17, a claim that Andrew has denied. She died by suicide in April 2025.

Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with his ties to Epstein.

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The former Duke of York was also arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Police are investigating him over an allegation that he shared confidential information with Epstein while acting as a trade envoy for the U.K., a position he held from 2001 to 2011.

Ferguson appeared numerous times in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice in late January. One email suggested she brought her two daughters to meet up with Epstein days after his release from prison in 2009, after he served 13 months for soliciting a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution.

Sarah Ferguson and the former Prince Andrew on Sept. 16, 2025Credit: Jordan Pettitt - Pool/Getty

A source recently told PEOPLE that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been trying to "stay away" from the controversy surrounding their parents.

"They have young children, and this is their grandfather — their focus is on protecting their own children from this," the insider said. (Eugenie shares two sons, August, 5, and Ernest, 2, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, while Beatrice is mom to daughters Sienna, 4, and Athena, 1, with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. She is also a stepmom to 9-year-old Christopher "Wolfie" Woolf, his son from a previous relationship.)

While King Charles, 77, is said to remain “very fond” of his nieces, royal watchers say the monarchy may gradually place a greater distance between the working royal family and the York branch.

Prince William, 43, has long been seen as favoring a tougher approach toward his uncle.

“William wants it all cleaned out before he gets [on the throne],” royal biographer Andrew Lownie recently told PEOPLE. “He wants it dealt with now.”

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