It was a remarkable sight, watching Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s first joint appearance on the same day that their disgraced father Andrew Mountbatten Windsor officially became a commoner.
On November 7, the sisters, 37 and 35 respectively, appeared oblivious to onlookers as they gave each other a hug before exchanging what appeared to be words of consolation in the middle of a bustling street in London.
Not only would it have been considered an extraordinarily public interaction for a royal under normal circumstances, the timing of Beatrice and Eugenie’s meeting in Mayfair left some fans questioning whether the photographs had been ‘staged’.
However, forensic lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail that ‘it’s rare something moves me quite so much’ as she claimed the sisters made a promise to each other during their conversation.
Ms Hickling claimed Beatrice told her younger sister ‘we’re in this together, don’t forget that’ when they met near Green Park and Buckingham Palace.
The lip reader also claimed that Beatrice told her sister ‘it’s going to get harder’ and ‘we can’t do anything’ before Eugenie seemed to say ‘everything is changing’.
Formerly Prince, Andrew, 65, has been cut from the royal fold and ousted from the Royal Lodge amid renewed scrutiny into his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Beatrice and Eugenie, who looked sombre during their meeting in London last week, have since returned to work in the wake of the scandal surrounding Andrew.
On November 7, the sisters, 37 and 35 respectively, appeared oblivious to onlookers as they wrapped each other up in a warm hug before exchanging what appeared to be words of consolation in the middle of a bustling Mayfair street in London
Forensic lip reader Nicola Hickling, who analysing the emotionally-charged moment, told the Daily Mail that ‘it’s rare something moves me quite so much’ as she claimed the sisters made a promise to each other during their conversation
Beatrice and Eugenie allegedly said they were ‘anxious’, Ms Hickling claimed, with the former reportedly adding ‘it’s a really anxious time’.
They met around the same time that Charles issued a rare Letters Patent to remove Andrew’s HRH status and ‘prince’ title.
After the Daily Mail published the photographs of Beatrice and Eugenie, who are rarely spotted out together, some fans began speculating whether their interaction had been orchestrated.
Writing on Reddit, one person said: ‘They 100 per cent showed up here after calling the paps to take pictures of them hugging.’
Another added: ‘They got the assignment right: No makeup, observed to have “intense chatting” in public, more casual attire worn in public. Public’s response would be mostly sympathy and pity for these two women and it helps distance themselves from their father.
‘I don’t blame them for doing this though. They’re adults with their own families. They need to ensure theyre on polite society’s good graces and that they’re “good” while Andrew continues (deservedly) to have his life absolutely ruined.’
A third said: ‘PR trick to get public sympathy…This is staged..’
Another suggested that ‘they obviously set this photo shoot up with the paps’ – claims that Splash News, which owns the photos – has denied in a statement to the Daily Mail.
Beatrice and Eugenie will both keep their HRH titles and membership of the ‘House of York’ because the King is keen to ensure his nieces are not tainted by the ‘sins of their father’, royal sources have said.
The former Duke of York was ejected from the royal fold last month as the fallout from Virginia Giuffre’s tell-all memoir – amid heightened scrutiny over Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s relationship with Epstein.
And it appears Andrew’s troubles are far from over.
On Wednesday night, it was revealed Epstein – who died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges – seemingly confirmed the infamous photo of Andrew and a teenage Virginia was real.
‘We’re in this together,’ Beatrice told her younger sister, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling
Beatrice (centre) and Eugenie (right) with their mother, former Duchess of York
Allies of the former royal have, several times, suggested the picture was a fake.
But 2011 messages in a bombshell cache of emails released earlier this week showed Epstein urged a journalist to investigate Ms Giuffre – who died by suicide this year – while admitting: ‘Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have.’
The picture was unearthed by The Mail on Sunday that same year as Ms Giuffre claimed she slept with Andrew during a stay in London.
The ex-prince has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. However, in 2022, he paid her millions in settlement after Ms Guiffre filed a civil lawsuit against Andrew.
Epstein took the photo on a disposable camera before the group, along with socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, headed out for dinner and then to a nightclub, Ms Giuffre said.
So his account will come as a devastating blow to embattled Andrew, who for years has sought to cast doubt over the authenticity of an image showing him holding Ms Giuffre, then 17 and known as Virginia Roberts.
It comes after Andrew was ordered to appear in front of Congress to explain his links to Epstein.
Days after their emotional reunion in Mayfair, Beatrice – who lives in the Cotswolds – made her first public charity appearance at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
She was visiting the Borne research laboratories that researches how to prevent premature births – a cause close to Beatrice’s heart since her daughter Athena was born several weeks prematurely in January, weighing 4b 5oz.
The following day, Beatrice – who remains ninth in line to the throne – was seen smiling alongside Holly Branson in a photo shared on their charity Big Change’s official Instagram account.
Days after their emotional reunion in Mayfair, Beatrice – who lives in the Cotswolds – made her first public charity appearance at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Pictured: the York sisters with their beleaguered father
Princess Beatrice was recently pictured accepting her role as deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust with her uncle Prince Edward at a reception and dinner at St James’s Palace
Beatrice is a co-founder of the Big Change Charitable Trust, set up to support children with skills outside the traditional national curriculum, as well as being an advisor for artificial intelligence software firm Afiniti.
Sir Richard Branson’s daughter, who co-founded the organisation with Beatrice, shared the image to mark a ‘fantastic’ win for Big Change.
The not-for-profit has been advocating for education reform, and welcomed the Labour government’s ‘new national curriculum reform’ in the photo caption.
Beatrice was seen in a blue shirt, tan skirt and white trainers, while linking arms with others in the team photo.
It comes after it was revealed that Beatrice has taken on another charity role as deputy patron of the Outward Bound Trust – an organisation that encourages young people to spend time outdoors.
She joins her uncle Prince Edward, who was announced as the royal patron of the charity at a special event at St James’s Palace last Thursday.
Beatrice had already been a trustee of the Outward Bound Trust since 2019 – the same year the charity accepted Andrew’s resignation as patron following his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, having supported the then Duke for decades.
Andrew himself took on the role from his father Prince Philip, who was patron for 65 years – with many believing it was the charity closest to his heart.
Eugenie and her husband Jack were seen in west London this week
While Beatrice ramps up her charity work, Eugenie – who is 12th in line to the throne – first stepped out in public on November 6, when she joined her husband Jack Booksbank for a stroll through Notting Hill.
Despite the scandal that has engulfed her parents Andrew and Sarah, a relaxed Eugenie and Jack seemed keen to continue their lives as normally as possible.
Meanwhile, Fergie is believed to be ‘more on edge’ than Andrew and is hunkering down in Royal Lodge – the 30-room mansion she shared with her ex-husband but will now also be forced to leave – ‘surrounded by Amazon deliveries’.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Sarah is going around blaming herself. She keeps repeating “what if I hadn’t done this, or hadn’t done that”.’
Meanwhile, another source said that Fergie is now considering leaving the country.
They said: ‘She’s always rather lived on the hoof and aside from her children and grandchildren, there’s not a lot to keep her here.
‘Put it this way, the invitations have dried up overnight.’
In the wake of the scandal, Sarah has said she will move out of Royal Lodge and find her own place – as Andrew is set to begin his new chapter as a commoner living on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
