Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will reportedly not attend this year’s Royal Ascot, marking a striking absence from one of the British royal family’s most visible public traditions.
According to a new report from The Daily Mail, the sisters — daughters of the former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson — have been told they will not join the royal family at the annual horse racing event in June. The report adds that they will also not participate in the famed royal procession, a symbolic display of unity and pageantry that typically features senior members of the monarchy.
A source cited by the outlet claimed the decision was communicated quietly.
“I’ve spoken to my friend who works at Ascot, and they said the girls have been told they can’t be there this year,” the insider said. “Beatrice has taken it the hardest. She’s been completely blindsided by all of this.”
Neither Buckingham Palace nor representatives for the sisters have publicly confirmed the report. Royal Ascot officials also have not issued a statement.
The reported exclusion comes amid renewed scrutiny of the sisters’ parents and their connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew stepped back from public royal duties in 2019 after a widely criticized BBC interview addressing his relationship with Epstein, the financier who died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronages after a judge allowed a civil sexual assault lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre to proceed. Andrew denied the allegations and later reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre without admitting wrongdoing.
Scrutiny intensified further last year following the release of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir. Andrew subsequently relinquished the use of his royal titles and was formally stripped of remaining honors by King Charles.
Compounding the fallout, Andrew was arrested on Feb. 19 and detained for 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest marked an unprecedented moment in modern royal history, sending fresh shockwaves through the monarchy.
Sarah Ferguson has also faced renewed attention after appearing in previously released Epstein-related documents. According to reports, she has maintained a low public profile in recent months and is said to be focusing on self-care as she weighs her next steps.
For Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, the controversy surrounding their parents has created an increasingly difficult balancing act.
Both women are mothers to young children and have worked in recent years to cultivate independent professional identities outside of formal royal roles. Eugenie shares sons August and Ernest with her husband, Jack Brooksbank. Beatrice is mother to daughters Sienna and Athena with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and is stepmother to his son, Christopher “Wolfie” Woolf.
“They have young children, and this is their grandfather — their focus is on protecting their own children from this,” a source told The Daily Mail.
Royal Ascot has long been more than a sporting event; it is a stage for royal continuity and carefully curated symbolism. If the report proves accurate, the absence of Andrew’s daughters will underscore how deeply the Epstein shadow continues to shape royal optics.
