JUST MINS AGO: Beatrice and Eugenie Just Received a Royal Slap in the Face – But Harry Will Be Laughing.
Beatrice and Eugenie just received a royal slap in the face – but Harry will be laughing
The sisters are facing a harsh public opinion slump as their parents’ drama overshadows their private lives and royal loyalties, Emily Wright argues.
While the Duke of Sussex has clawed his way back up the rankings of the latest royal YouGov poll, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been left picking up the shattered pieces of their royal reputation – all thanks to the toxic shadow of their parents, Andrew and Fergie. It is the bitterest of royal pills, and the sisters must be choking on it right about now.
For years, the narrative was set – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the self-exiled villains of the piece. They traded royal duty for Montecito mansions, trashed the Firm on global television and watched their British popularity scores plummet into the abyss. Meanwhile, Andrew’s daughters were supposed to be the sensible, hard-working young royals who kept their heads down, held down real jobs and quietly represented the best of the family’s future.
92% of the country holds a negative view of Andrew in the latest polling (Image: Getty)
According to the latest YouGov favourability tracker, Prince Harry has just scored a massive personal victory, clawing his way back up to a 33% positivity rating. It isn’t a landslide victory – he remains in negative net territory – but momentum is momentum. Slowly but surely, the Duke of Sussex is pulling himself out of the British public’s bad books.
But where are Beatrice and Eugenie? Languishing behind at 30% and 29%, respectively. And if you want to know who is to blame for this humiliation, you don’t need to look at Montecito – you need to look to Marsh Farm, or wherever Sarah is currently hiding.
Beatrice and Eugenie must be fuming – and frankly, who could blame them? They played by every rule in the book. They didn’t write tell-all memoirs, they didn’t sit down with Oprah, and they didn’t launch targeted attacks on the Crown. Yet they are paying the ultimate price for the ongoing, toxic circus surrounding their father.
Andrew continues to drag the family through the mud, sitting at a historic low of just 2% – a staggering 92% of the country holds a negative view of him. Coupled with Fergie’s ongoing media blunders, the “York brand” has been crushed beyond repair.
Beatrice and Eugenie face a cruel dilemma balancing public opinion and family life. (Image: Getty)
Beatrice and Eugenie are forced to walk an impossible tightrope behind closed doors. To the British public, Andrew and Sarah may be pariahs – but to the sisters, they are simply “Dad” and “Mum,” and beloved grandparents to their young children.
Naturally, neither sister wants to sever those family bonds. Yet every public outing or visit reignites the media spotlight. Given how toxic the Andrew scandal remains, staying loyal daughters is a PR nightmare. They face a cruel dilemma – cut off their own family and break their own hearts, or maintain those ties and watch their public standing crumble.
For me, what makes this public backlash so infuriating is the double standard. Unlike William, Catherine, or King Charles, Beatrice and Eugenie are not taxpayer-funded working royals. They draw no money from the Sovereign Grant, hold no official duties, and never asked to be regulars in this royal soap opera. They hold regular jobs and raise their young families in private.
Why should two working mothers be judged against full-time state representatives – simply because of their royal titles and the disgraced father attached to their name?
The Prince and Princess of Wales dominate the polling, proving the future of the monarchy is safe in their hands. (Image: Getty)
