For years, there’s been talk of the York princesses being drafted into full-time royal work. That’s what Prince Andrew wanted for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, for his two daughters to become “working royals.” King Charles always had other ideas, even when QEII was still alive. Charles always fought it. Now that he’s king, the Yorks are not being brought into any working-royal fold, although they’re still invited to family events and occasionally state events. Eugenie and Beatrice also have small charity portfolios and they both have full-time jobs. One might even say they’re part-time royals, half-in the institution. Well, now that Charles and the Princess of Wales have significant health issues and Prince William is solely obsessed with the school run, you would think that someone would suggest that Bea and Eugenie would step in for some of the lower-profile royal work? You would be wrong. From the Daily Beast’s Royalist:

Friends of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have said they are “very upset” but “not surprised” to have not been asked to carry out any royal engagements, while the threadbare royal family grapples with a double health crisis that has seen King Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton all step back from royal duties.

A friend of the young women told The Daily Beast: “It seems mean that the girls aren’t being used at all, when they have made it clear they want to be of service, especially when Prince Andrew has been accepted back into the fold. They have done nothing wrong, and they shouldn’t be visited with the sins of their father. They are very upset to have been ignored by the king as they feel they have a lot to offer, but, ultimately not surprised. They are sanguine about it.”

Another source, a friend of the wider family, told The Daily Beast: “Charles is very fond of the York girls but everyone, including them, accepts there is no place for them to be full time working royals. And as the late Queen Elizabeth made clear, being a part-time working royal isn’t an option.”

A former courtier, asked if the unavailability of Charles, William and Kate for public duties—leaving the monarchy with its official representatives being Queen Camilla (76), Princess Anne (73), Prince Edward (60) and wife Sophie (59)—pointed to the folly of cutting out the two younger royals (Beatrice is 35 and Eugenie is 33), said: “With hindsight you can make the argument that they should have been kept on, but a dramatic change of course now would not be helpful for anyone. The York girls have built successful lives as private individuals.”

Evidence of the king’s ongoing affection for his nieces can be found in the fact that since her 2020 marriage to Edoardo “Edo” Mapelli Mozzi in 2020, Princess Beatrice and her family have lived in a four-bed apartment in St James’ Palace, with two-year-old daughter Sienna and Edoardo’s older child from a previous relationship, Wolfie. They are understood to pay market rent. Eugenie, the younger sister, lives at a luxury golf and ocean club in Portugal, but spends time at her sister’s St James’ apartment when in the U.K.

Some believe, however, that if Charles and Kate were to be permanently sidelined, forced into greatly reduced roles for the longer term by ongoing health challenges, a Prince William regency would look desperately short-handed…This royal staffing time bomb is coming anyway, as the Waleses are unlikely to want their children becoming full time working royals until at least their mid-twenties. Their eldest child, Prince George, is only 10 right now. Some observers suspect that’s why the regular suggestions by associates of the Yorks that the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson could be invited back into the family—even on that oft ruled-out part-time basis— continue to be floated.

[From The Daily Beast]

“Part-time royals are not allowed” is an argument they created solely for Prince Harry and Meghan and it’s biting them in the ass. It’s fun to watch too – despite the revisionist history that QEII was somehow vehemently opposed to part-time royals, she was actually fine with it for everybody else. Many of her “working royal” cousins had other jobs and they also represented the crown from time to time and were still “allowed” on the fakakta balcony. Prince Michael of Kent had a whole-ass Russian-consultation business (operated out of the palace) and he was a working royal for decades. The Duchess of Kent worked privately as a music teacher while she was also a working royal. There’s absolutely no reason why Eugenie and Beatrice couldn’t step in for some store openings and general ribbon-cuttings. Well, no reason other than Charles, Camilla and William’s jealousy, short-sightedness and pettiness.

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