A royal expert describes the newly strained relationship between Sarah Ferguson and her two daughters.

The tight-knit relationship between Sarah Ferguson and her two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie has reportedly “collapsed”, according to a royal expert. The trio, who have been referred to by the nickname “tripod” have been impacted by Andrew and Sarah’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Questions have been raised about whether Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie can disentangle themselves from their parents’ connections to the late paedophile. Sarah, who lost her Duchess title when Andrew gave up his Duke of York title a few weeks ago, had, until recently, sidestepped the firing line of the controversy around Epstein.

The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor, Rebecca English, writes that a friend of the family revealed: “I would actually go so far as to say that they are even more disappointed in their mother than their father now.”

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie relationship with mum Fergie has ‘collapsed’ (Image: GETTY)

The trio have been referred to by the nickname “tripod” (Image: Getty)

The source added: “They also love their mother dearly, of course they do. She’s a wonderful grandmother, too, and they are deeply concerned about how this is all affecting her mentally as much as their father. But I think it’s fair to say the scales have also somewhat fallen from their eyes.”

Princess Eugenie once said in an interview in 2008: “Mummy, Bea and I call ourselves ‘the tripod’. They are my best friends in the world.”

With Andrew officially losing his Prince and HRH titles, questions have arisen as to whether the same will apply to his two daughters. However, the pair will retain their Princess titles because they are the children of the son of a sovereign, in line with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917.

They will also retain their places in the line of succession, being ninth and twelfth in line to the throne. Andrew shares his adult daughters, who now have their own families, with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with whom he divorced in 1996 but remains friendly with.

Beatrice and Eugenie will retain their ‘princess’ titles (Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

On October 30, Buckingham Palace released a statement about Andrew. It explained that he will now be called Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and has been ordered to surrender his lease at Royal Lodge, his longtime home.

“His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew,” the statement said.

“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.

“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

The updates come after Andrew released a shocking statement a week earlier that he was relinquishing use of his royal titles and honors amid scrutiny of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He made the statement before the publication of a posthumous memoir by the late Virginia Giuffre. Andrew continues to deny all allegations made against him.