Princess Eugenie put an end to a years-long tradition as she failed to post a happy birthday message for her mother Sarah Ferguson, who is currently embroiled in the latest Epstein scandal revelations, on Wednesday.
King Charles’ niece, 35, stepped out at the Frieze Art Fair in London, but stayed silent on social media while the Duchess of York celebrated her 66th.
The move comes on the heels of reports that Fergie apologised to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and called him a ‘supreme friend’ in a leaked email.
Meanwhile, her ex husband Prince Andrew told Epstein ‘we are in this together’ a day after the infamous picture of the royal with his alleged teenage sex victim was published, the Daily Mail revealed earlier this month.
The disgraced Duke has vehemently and consistently denied the allegations against him.
Eugenie’s lack of public post is a stark contrast to previous instances, which saw annual celebratory fanfare for her ‘mumma’.
In 2024, she made sure to post a carousel of sweet snaps alongside a caption which read: ‘So proud of the Grannie you are, the mum you are and the woman you are.
‘You’re an inspiration and our endless chats bring me so much happiness and incredible support.’
Princess Eugenie failed to publicly post a happy birthday message to her mother Sarah Ferguson on Wednesday – instead stepping out at the Frieze Art Fair in London (pictured)
Other birthdays have also been full of gushing posts, with the only other notable absence being 2023 – when Sarah was diagnosed with cancer.
In 2019 she made the first of many festive uploads as she shared a throwback photo with her mother, calling her ‘an inspiration’ and ‘one of the people she admires most in this world’. ‘Thank you for being you. I love you to the moon and back,’ she added.
A year on, she pictured Sarah sitting on a toy toadstool in another playful photo, commeorating her ‘one of a kind’ mother.
In 2021 and 2022 Eugenie added a more personal touch, sharing selfies with her ‘dear mummy’ on Instagram.
On Wednesday – amid her online silence – the Princess was spotted at a contemporary art fair held in Regent’s Park in central London.
The princess looked elegant in a monochrome black ensemble, donning a black three-quarter sleeve jumper and a pleated midi skirt with a thin belt.
She added a silver pendant necklace and a pair of delicate silver mushroom earrings to her paired-back look.
Eugenie’s appearance comes after it was revealed she had turned to gratitude app With Gratitude to help her solve various work problems.
In 2024, she made sure to post a carousel of sweet snaps alongside a caption which read: ‘So proud of the Grannie you are, the mum you are and the woman you are
Eugenie’s lack of public post is a stark contrast to previous instances, which saw annual celebratory fanfare for her ‘mumma’ (pictured in 2022)
In 2021 and 2022 Eugenie added a more personal touch, sharing selfies with her ‘dear mummy’ on Instagram
In 2020, she pictured Sarah sitting on a toy toadstool in another playful photo, commeorating her ‘one of a kind’ mother
In 2019 she made the first of many festive uploads as she shared a throwback photo with her mother, calling her ‘an inspiration’ and ‘one of the people she admires most in this world’. ‘Thank you for being you. I love you to the moon and back,’ she added
The free app, created by model, actress and singer Suki Waterhouse and her former TV presenter friend Poppy Jamie, encourages users to write ten things they’re grateful for each day and share them within private ‘bubbles’.
Its description reads: ‘For thousands of years, people have been practising gratitude. This daily ritual of looking for the good things is proven to improve health, sleep, resilience and friendships.
‘This app makes gratitude fun and social. Create private ‘bubbles’ to share your lists with close friends and family. Gratitude with loved ones keeps you motivated and deepens relationships.
‘It’s simple, free and feels amazing.’
Beatrice and Eugenie, who count co-founder Poppy as a close friend, were among the first to sign up for the app which Suki confessed saved her from feeling isolated while on tour last year.
Poppy told The Times: ‘They were some of our first users and they love it – they’ve since invited friends to join.
Eugenie recently shared her gratitude for ‘getting through my work dilemma’, ‘kisses from my sons’ and ‘watching a movie I haven’t seen before’.
Elsewhere this week, she had joined Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, the future Queen of Jordan, at a London hospital.
Princess Eugenie recently shared her gratitude for ‘getting through my work dilemma’ on the app With Gratitude which she has been using during her parents Epstein scandals (pictured at a London hospital with Princess Rajwa Al Hussein)
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The two royals had visited Springfield University Hospital in South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS trust on Monday to view artworks created for mental health care environments.
And Eugenie’s sister, Princess Beatrice, 37, also proved she wouldn’t be sidetracked from the causes close to her heart as she attended the Art Of Wishes Gala 2025 alongside her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
The exclusive dinner at The Chancery Rosewood Hotel in London, last night raises funds for Make-A-Wish UK, a charity that grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Despite not being working royals, Beatrice and Eugenie have HRH titles and are ninth and 12th in line to the throne respectively; both also have public patronages and charitable projects they are passionate about.
Their latest blitz of events could be seen as an effort to prove their credentials as a valuable royal asset, should they be called upon in the future.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, royal author Katie Nicholl said that due to their passionate roles as philanthropists, Beatrice and Eugenie are ‘not going to let their parents’ scandals overshadow the good work that they do’.
‘Of course, we know that Sarah’s had to stand down from multiple charities, because of her connections to Epstein and what was revealed in the recent emails, which were uncovered,’ she remarked.
‘It’s a very difficult time for Beatrice and Eugenie, who are incredibly close to their parents. They’ve had to sort of weather many public storms and have seen their parents go through a lot and they’ve maintained a dignified silence throughout.’
Princess Beatrice has been continuing with her royal-like outings – attending the Art Of Wishes Gala 2025 alongside her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (pictured together)
She added that the Princesses are to be ‘commended’ for their devotion and not shying away from the public.
‘They choose to embrace it when it comes to raising awareness for issues and campaigns and matters that they care about,’ Katie continued. ‘I think it can’t be easy for them, seeing their parents as subject to so many damaging headlines. We know that they’re a very close family. I think they’ve been very sensible by not making any public comments, and I’m sure that will remain the case.
‘But they’re not allowing it to stop them from doing their important philanthropic engagements.
‘I don’t know if we’ve seen enough evidence to suggest that they’re doing any more than they used to. I don’t think we are. I think the point is that even with this scandal engulfing their family, they continue to do the philanthropic and charitable work, which has always been so important to them.’
The author said that it seems clear that the King ‘holds both of his nieces in very high regard and recognises and appreciates that despite everything they go through in a personal capacity, they are very committed to, the work of the Crown’.
‘If they were ever required to step up in any capacity, they would,’ she added. I think that is something that they admired so much in their grandmother, the Queen, and it’s something that I think they’ve inherited from both the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh. It’s something to them that is very important that they’re able to continue.
‘It’s only fair that they are able to be perceived as individuals in their own right and not judged based on the misjudgments and scandals that have engulfed their parents and I think they’re very keen to be proactive on that front and to be seen to be independent of their parents, continuing the important charity work that they’ve done for many years, and really taking on that sense of duty.’
Elsewhere, expert commentator Richard Fitzwilliams remarked: ‘Only four working members of the British royal family are under 70. In Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden the number of working royals has been drastically reduced.
‘Yet it is the British royal family that attracts attention far more than their European counterparts, we still have a Coronation and the idea of a “slimmed down monarchy” seems to have been a media invention rather than anything King Charles actually said.
‘The problem for the royal family and part of the predicament for everyone involved with Epstein’s links with Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson is that it isn’t possible to know what comes next, when and how damaging it will be.
‘All credit to their daughter Princess Eugenie for taking the initiative and becoming patron of Arts Work, to give those in the UK access to the creative sector which is one of Britain’s most valuable assets.’
Though they do not carry out official duties, the sisters have previously stepped up to the Royal Fold in an unofficial capacity, such as joining William and Kate to host the first garden party of the year at Buckingham Palace.
In May, Princess Beatrice joined King Charles and Camilla at Kew Gardens for an official event, and is one of seven Counsellors of State, who undertake official duties on behalf of the King if he is unable to do so.
Days later, the King’s Foundation announced Eugenie would be a mentor for its new 35 Under 35 network.
Posing alongside her husband on Monday night, Beatrice opted for a shimmering black and red gown, featuring ruffle sleeves and a dropped hemline.
Eugenie and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein (pictured centre) had visited Springfield University Hospital in South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS trust on Monday to view artworks created for mental health care environments
The Duke of York’s daughter teamed her dress with a black clutch and matching heels, and added a touch more dazzle to her outfit with a pair of golden hooped earrings.
Art of Wishes has raised funds for Make-A-Wish UK since 2017, making over £12million through fundraising events and art auctions.
On Monday, Beatrice’s sister Eugenie beamed as she posed for photographs with Crown Prince Hussein’s wife, who looked elegant in a white and blue floral dress.
Dressed in a silk green skirt and black cardigan, Prince Andrew’s daughter wrote in the caption of her Instagram post: ‘It was an absolute pleasure to visit Springfield University Hospital at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS trust with Princess Rajwa al Hussein in London on Monday.
‘We viewed a number of artworks created as part of an initiative by the charity Hospital Rooms, which integrates art into mental health care environments.
‘Their mission is to commission leading international artists to produce permanent, high-quality works for mental health wards across the UK’s National Health Service, helping create welcoming and uplifting spaces for patients. Truly beautiful. Thank you for having us.’
Earlier this month, Eugenie became a patron for Arts Work, an organisation that aims to give young people living in the UK access into the creative sector by offering work placement and training.
Meanwhile, her sister Beatrice travelled to New York last weekend to celebrate a close friend’s wedding amid the fallout at home.
But while the siblings have continued with their day-to-day lives of royal-like outings and glitzy galas, Fergie is understood to be lying low at Royal Lodge in Windsor, which she still shares with her ex-husband, as she faces one of the most serious reputational crises of her life.
Her biographer Ingrid Seward said this week: ‘This time she is probably going to have to do what she’s never done before and lie low for quite a while.’
The Duchess has not been seen in public for several weeks after a 2011 email she sent to Epstein resurfaced, in which she called him her ‘supreme friend’ and appeared to apologise for previously criticising him.
Exposed by the Mail on Sunday, the message, written years after his conviction for child sex offences, has sparked outrage and led at least eight UK charities – including the British Heart Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and Julia’s House – to drop her as a patron.
Just weeks after publicly disowning Epstein, Sarah wrote him a gushing private message calling him a ‘steadfast, generous and supreme friend’ – and admitting she only distanced herself from him to save her own reputation.
The Duchess ‘humbly apologised’ to the convicted sex offender for letting him down, and said she had been told to speak out if she wanted to save her career as a children’s author.
She sent the grovelling message ‘from the truth of my heart’, less than two months after telling journalists: ‘I will never have anything to do with [Epstein] again.’
The Duchess’s friends say she was ‘devastated for any embarrassment’ caused by the latest scandal and ‘will explain herself to the wider Royal Family in due course’.
Earlier this month, Eugenie (pictured right, with Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, pictured centre) became a patron for Arts Work, an organisation that aims to give young people living in the UK access into the creative sector by offering work placement and training
It was claimed Sarah sent the apology email to Epstein, in which she described him as a ‘supreme friend’, after he threatened to ‘destroy’ her family in a ‘chilling call’.
James Henderson, the Duchess’s spokesperson at the time, said the email was sent after a ‘really menacing and nasty’ phone call from the sex offender who had a ‘Hannibal Lecter-type voice’, the Telegraph reported.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew is also facing a fresh scandal after The Mail On Sunday revealed the Duke secretly told paedophile Epstein ‘we are in this together’ in a bombshell email a day after the newspaper first published the infamous picture of the royal with his alleged teenage sex victim.
In the astonishing message, Andrew said he was ‘concerned’ about the impact the MoS’s revelations would have on his friend, but reassured the vile billionaire that the pair would ‘rise above’ press scrutiny.
It was sent to Epstein 12 weeks after Andrew had supposedly ceased all contact with the convicted sex offender.
The leaked email provides definitive proof that the Duke lied in his interview with BBC’s Newsnight when he claimed he ‘never had any contact’ with Epstein after the pair were famously pictured walking together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010.
Andrew stepped down as a working royal over the scandal involving his friendship with Epstein in 2019.
It followed a disastrous Newsnight interview about his relationship with Epstein and questions over his relationship with Ms Giuffre who claimed she was sexually assaulted by the Duke three times when she was 17.
Andrew, who always denied the allegations, agreed an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre, believed to be worth around £12million. Ms Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein, took her own life in April aged 41.
