Princess Beatrice is reportedly “broken-hearted” and steering clear of Royal Lodge following the release of an Amazon series about her father, a source has claimed.
The Duke of York was the subject of ‘A Very Royal Scandal’ this month, a three-part expose delving into Prince Andrew’s infamous 2019 Newsnight interview.
It comes as King Charles finds himself in a dispute with his brother over the tenancy of the £30million Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, where the Duke currently lives with his former wife Sarah Ferguson.
Charles is said to be keen for Andrew to leave the grand estate and downsize, and Andrew faces challenges covering the annual £400,000 running costs.
In light of recent events, a source said to New Idea magazine that Beatrice has been deliberately avoiding her family’s residence.
The source claimed: “It’s a stress-hole there and for some reason, Beatrice always gets stuck in the middle of things, playing peacemaker on behalf of her dad.
“She doesn’t want to be doing that anymore and she recognises it’s been a pattern all her life. No-one wants to be around him when he’s dealing with so much right now. Beatrice is broken-hearted, of course.”
The source mentioned that the situation is especially tough for her as she’s a “daddy’s girl”. She is now said to be eagerly wishing for the fallout from the Amazon TV series to subside.
The drama ‘A Very Royal Scandal’ featured Ruth Wilson portraying the role of ex-BBC journalist Emily Maitlis, who conducted the notorious interview, with Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew. The programme hinted that Princess Beatrice had a hand in arranging her father’s interview, with the source claiming the portrayal has left her “devastated”
During a segment on Sky News Australia, News Corp columnist Angela Mollard discussed the series with host Gabriella Power, who pointed out Andrew’s memorable “one-liners” and what Gabriella described as his claim that he “never sweats”.
Angela also commented on the controversy surrounding Royal Lodge and its repercussions for Beatrice and Eugenie, suggesting that Andrew should vacate the estate “on behalf of his daughters”.
Prince Andrew, who has a lease with the Crown Estate for Royal Lodge until 2078, had intentions to hand down the property to his daughters. However, it is understood he has been counselled against this move.
Nonetheless, there might be another inheritance on the horizon for Beatrice and Eugenie, as their mother, the Duchess of York, reportedly owns a £4million house in Mayfair.
Representatives from Buckingham Palace have been approached for a comment