The once-unbreakable bond between Sarah Ferguson and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, famously called ‘the tripod’, has reportedly collapsed. The fracture stems from Sarah Ferguson and her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Though Sarah had largely avoided the core of the Prince Andrew–Epstein scandal, a 2011 email surfaced in which she called Epstein a “supreme friend.” This sharply contradicted her earlier public statement labeling her association with him a “gigantic error of judgement” and condemning his actions as “wrong” and rightfully leading to imprisonment. Ferguson claimed she wrote the email out of fear for potential threats to her family.

A family friend told Daily Mail Royal Editor Rebecca English that the princesses are now “even more disappointed in their mother than their father.” Despite this, the source stressed that Beatrice and Eugenielove their mother deeply, value her as a wonderful grandmother, and are worried about the mental toll on both parents. However, they added: “The scales have also somewhat fallen from their eyes.”

Princess Eugenie once celebrated their closeness in a 2008 interview: “Mummy, Bea and I call ourselves ‘the tripod’. They are my best friends in the world.”

Prince Andrew’s Consequences

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, stripped of his Prince and HRH titles, and ordered to surrender his lease at Royal Lodge, his long-time home. He will move to alternative private accommodation.

These measures were enacted despite his continued denial of allegations. The Palace expressed “utmost sympathies” for victims and survivors of abuse. Andrew had previously relinquished royal titles and honours amid scrutiny over his Epstein links, especially before the release of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir.

Beatrice & Eugenie’s Status

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will retain their Princess titles, as children of the son of a sovereign under King George V’s 1917 Letters Patent. They remain 9th and 12th in line to the throne, respectively.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, divorced in 1996 but still close share these adult daughters, who now have their own families.