Prince Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie left ‘deeply distressed’ after Duke ‘fights for survival’
PRINCE Andrew’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are reportedly “deeply distressed” after their dad was forced to quit his royal duties.
A source has also said that the sisters’ mum, Sarah Ferguson, will be concerned about “how his resignation impacts their children’s future”.
The unnamed source told that Beatrice and Eugenie are understood to be “deeply distressed” about their dad, who resigned after the fall-out over his association with the disgraced US financier and convicted paedo Jeffrey Epstein.
However, despite his reputation suffering multiple blows, his daughters will continue supporting him, the publication was told.
The source added: "Andrew was fighting not just for his survival, but for all their survival" when he spoke to BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis about his pal Epstein.
They added: "Andrew and Sarah will obviously be worried about how his resignation impacts their children's future."
Prince Andrew will be scaling down his public work from now on, but it is not clear if his finances will change as he is supported by his mother the Queen and her help will never be disclosed.
This could impact on Princess Beatrice and her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's wedding next year, the Daily Beast warns.
But one of her pals said that Beatrice was not worried about having a grand wedding - like her sister's full royal nuptials in summer.
The friend added: "Eugenie and Beatrice are both genuinely really good kids and very close to both their parents.
"They have been through a hell of a lot, and they have never turned on each other which is really pretty extraordinary."
Prior to quitting his royal duties yesterday, pressure had been mounting on the duke in the wake of his so-called "car crash" interview, with a growing number of multimillion-pound businesses, universities and charities distancing themselves from him.
He faced criticism, too, for showing a lack of empathy towards Epstein's victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with the financier, who took his own life while in prison earlier this year awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
In the interview, the duke denied claims that he slept with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims, on three separate occasions, twice while she was underage.
Beatrice and Eugenie were spotted in public for the first time since their dad’s bombshell TV interview.
Keeping a low profile, Beatrice was yesterday seen enjoying a night out in posh Mayfair, while Eugenie attended a charity event.
Beatrice was pictured trying to avoid photographers by slipping in through the back door of Annabel's, a private member's club in Berkeley Square.
She was accompanying her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who was celebrating his birthday.
A passerby noted that Beatrice "clearly wasn't keen on having her picture taken as she used the back door to enter the club".
Her sister, Princess Eugenie, 29, was also out and about in London, where she was tonight snapped leaving the Elephant Family Charity Dinner.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall - away on a tour of New Zealand - are joint royal presidents of the charity.
CRISIS TALKS
Sarah Ferguson, 60, was seen arriving at Buckingham Palace today for crisis talks.
She was videoed smiling at police officers who greeted her at the palace entrance late this afternoon.
Sarah was driven into the palace about four hours after the Duke of York arrived for further talks - the first time he's been seen in public since he announced he would be stepping down from royal duties.
He married and - in 1996 - divorced the bubbly, flame-haired Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson, who herself has generated some of the most humiliating royal scandals of modern times.
The duke has remained on good terms with his ex-wife who always refers to him as her "bestest friend", and he has a close bond with their daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
The Duke of York, 59, put on a brave face just hours after releasing a bombshell statement revealing he was stepping down from his royal duties.
Andrew waved from behind the wheel of a car as he left his home in Windsor, Berks, this morning after being summoned to Buckingham Palace by his mother, the Queen.
Last night, a friend of Prince Andrew revealed: “The Queen summoned the Duke to Buckingham Palace to tell him her decision.
“It was a devastating moment for both of them. His reputation is in tatters. It is unlikely he will ever perform royal duties again. He is disgraced.”
ROYAL SCRUTINY
The announcement followed days of media scrutiny after his attempts to defend himself in Saturday’s disastrous interview were ridiculed.
A royal source said: “The Queen was privately very disappointed with Prince Andrew, despite the public efforts to rally round.
“It’s wrong to think that she just accepted his version of events, that the interview had gone well and there was nothing to worry about.
“She saw the fallout and was very unhappy. She has spent her whole life protecting the monarchy and in just one week her son’s actions threatened to tear it apart.
"Something had to be done to draw a line under all of this.”
The Prince was also forced to retire as Chancellor of Huddersfield University after students passed a motion for him to resign with immediate effect.
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The University said in a statement that he had "decided to step down immediately to allow the University to appoint a successor".
"The Duke has informed the University that he continues to unequivocally condemn Jeffrey Epstein’s activities and regrets his ill-judged association with him," it read.
The Duke has also pledged to co-operate with authorities investigating Epstein - opening him up to serious criminal risk.
