The daughters of the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have declined an invitation to Kate Middleton’s carol service at Westminster Abbey amid the ongoing royal drama.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, cousins to Prince William and Harry, posted a formal apology on social media, saying they were unable to attend Friday evening’s holiday event.
“Wish Bea and I could have been celebrating tonight with our family,” Eugenie wrote in a post to Instagram.
“Wishing @princeandprincessofwales such a special evening at her incredible carol service. What an amazing message of love and hope.”
The Princess of Wales is thought to have personally invited the sisters to her “Together at Christmas” carol service in an effort to reunite the British royal family following the scandal surrounding Andrew.
In October, Andrew, formerly “Prince Andrew,” was stripped of his royal title and evicted from his Royal Lodge residence at Windsor by his brother, King Charles, in response to the continuing controversy surrounding his long friendship with the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The 65-year-old ex-prince is alleged to have raped Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre several times in the early 2000s, when she was just 17 years old.
Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, published in October, as well as additional Epstein file releases, continue to fuel the story.
The princesses did not give a reason for being no-shows at the carol service, but King Charles is thought to be attempting to shield his nieces from the fallout.
The pair have retained their royal titles and are conducting their royal duties as usual, with reports that the king is considering expanding their responsibilities.
Friday marked the fifth annual “Together at Christmas” carol service hosted by the Princess of Wales with some 1,600 people in attendance at the historic church.
The Westminster Abbey choir sang Christmas carols and was joined for musical performances by Zac Abel, Dan Smith, and Griff. Actors Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor were among the guests who performed readings during the service.
Royals in attendance included Kate and William and their three children, George (12), Charlotte (10), and Louis (7). Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, were also there, along with Lord Frederick Windsor and his wife, Sophie Winkleman, plus their two daughters, Maud and Isabella. Lord Frederick Windsor is the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and is 54th in line to the British throne.
King Charles and Queen Camilla did not attend, leaving Kate and William as the most senior royals at Kate’s personal passion project event.
It is part of the 43-year-old princess’s gradual return to public life following her diagnosis and treatment for cancer in early 2024.
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