Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie banned from Royal Ascot over parents' Epstein links: Report

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will not attend this year’s Royal Ascot in June, as per reports. The decision is linked to their parents’ apparent ties to financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Their father, former Duke of York Prince Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, and their mother, Sarah Ferguson, have both been under heavy media scrutiny because of their connection to the Epstein case. Last month, Andrew was arrested and questioned by police for 11 hours over alleged misconduct.

Because of this, the sisters are being kept out of the royal family’s high-profile events for now. Neither the palace nor Royal Ascot officials have made an official statement about the ban.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to miss annual royal gathering

Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, will not take part in this year’s Royal Ascot, missing the family’s usual annual gathering, according to the Daily Mail. A source told the publication, “I spoke to a friend who works at Ascot, and they said the girls have been told they can’t be there this year. Beatrice has been hit hardest and is completely blindsided by this.”

PEOPLE reports that Beatrice and Eugenie have been trying to keep a low profile amid the ongoing controversy surrounding their parents. “They have young children, and their focus is on protecting them from all of this,” the insider added.

Eugenie shares two sons, August, five, and Ernest, two, with her husband Jack Brooksbank. On the other hand, Beatrice has two daughters, Sienna, four, and Athena, one, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and is also stepmother to nine-year-old Christopher “Wolfie” Woolf.

Andrew steps back from public life amid Epstein files controversy

Andrew, 66, stepped back from public royal duties in 2019 after a widely covered BBC interview about his connection to Epstein, who died that same year while awaiting trial. He was connected to Virginia Giuffre, a key Epstein witness, whose allegations drew major attention.

In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth removed Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages after a court rejected his effort to dismiss Giuffre’s legal case. He later settled with her privately for an undisclosed amount.

After the release of Giuffre’s memoir, 'Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice', scrutiny of Andrew increased. He then gave up the use of his royal and other official titles. For those unaware, Giuffre died in 2025 at the age of 44. 

These events have also affected his family, with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie keeping a low profile at public events. Their focus has shifted to their children and personal lives as they navigate the ongoing attention on their family.