In 2025, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, watched as their parents, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson, were again engulfed in controversy over their ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The fallout saw King Charles III strip his younger brother of his remaining HRH status and military honours, further freezing Andrew out of royal life and forcing him and Ferguson from their Royal Lodge home.

Despite the turmoil surrounding their parents, both King Charles, 77, and Prince William, 43, are understood to have largely shielded the York sisters, drawing them closer to the monarchy during a period of upheaval.

While Beatrice and Eugenie have never been full-time working royals, the King has long been said to be “keen to protect” their HRH titles as granddaughters of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

That quiet protection was on display over Christmas, when the sisters joined the royal family for the traditional church service at Sandringham, an appearance widely interpreted as a show of unity, despite their parents’ exclusion.

They were also among the guests at the King’s annual pre-Christmas family lunch at Buckingham Palace on December 16.

Five News Royal Correspondent Simon Vigar believes the sisters now find themselves in a unique position- operating as what he describes as “half in, half out” royals- precisely the model their cousin Prince Harry wants. 

“It’s been a devastating year for them. A devastating year for the girls I would have thought,” Vigar told The Sun.

“They’re sort of half in, half out, actually, the thing that Harry wanted. Beatrice and Eugenie aren’t full-time working royals, so they don’t quite have the public exposure that the others do.”

When Harry and his wife, American former actress Meghan Markle, 44, stepped back from royal duties and relocated to the US in 2020, they had hoped to carve out a part-time role within the Firm. 

In their bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Markle made that clear, saying: “We never left the family, and we only wanted to have the same type of role that exists, right? There’s senior members of the family, and then there are non-senior members.”

That proposal, however, was swiftly rejected, with the King upholding Queen Elizabeth II’s long-standing position that royals must be either fully committed to official duties or not involved at all.

The stance was reportedly reinforced during Harry’s visit to London in September, when he met privately with his father for a long-sought meeting at Clarence House.

“The King is a forgiving man but has been absolutely clear in upholding his late mother (Queen Elizabeth II)’s decision that there cannot be ‘half-in, half-out’ members of the working Royal family,” a palace source told The Mail at the time.

According to Vigar, the monarchy’s recent slimming following the removal of Andrew and the ongoing fallout from ‘Megxit’ could leave room for Beatrice and Eugenie to step up in years to come.

“It’s slimmed down all by itself hasn’t it, but they’re going to need help in the public jobs they do,” he said.

However, not everyone agrees the sisters’ renewed visibility is driven solely by the King and Prince William.

Royal commentator Ingrid Seward told The Sun she believes their attendance at key family events is being encouraged by none other than ex-Prince Andrew himself. 

“I don’t think Beatrice and Eugenie had a choice. Andrew said to them, you have to go,” Seward said of the sisters’ Christmas appearance.

“Because he wants to keep a foot in. A, he wants to know what’s going on. B, he’d want to know what people were saying about him.”

Seward added that Ferguson unashamedly plays a similar role.

“And he’s always said that, and Fergie has said, ‘the girls are my passport’.

“They are Andrew’s only passport into the royal family now. And I’m absolutely sure that he persuaded them.”