King ‘invites Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to the Royal Ascot’

King Charles is believed to have invited Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to Royal Ascot in a show of support for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s daughters in the wake of his arrest.

The sisters are in line for an appearance in the official carriage procession and Royal Enclosure at the racing festival this June following a disastrous few months which has seen their father evicted from Royal Lodge and stripped of his titles over his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Beatrice’s husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi and Eugenie’s husband Jack Brooksbank might also join the royal congregation at the five-day event.

Charles is still fond of his nieces despite the astonishing downfall of their father in recent years and will permit them to attend royal events in future, a source close to the King told The Sun. 

‘All the signs are they’re not being judged on the sins of the parents,’ they said. 

It is believed that neither Beatrice nor Eugenie has visited Andrew, 66, during his exile in Sandringham which has seen him make do with a smaller residence at Marsh Farm ahead of moving to his new home over Easter.

They will not be making their return to public royal appearances at this weekend’s traditional Easter service, deciding instead to swerve the event at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

It will be the first major royal gathering since the Epstein Files dredged up devastating claims against their parents Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. 

With the agreement and understanding of the King, Andrew’s daughters have made ‘alternative plans for this Easter’.

Sources have stressed that they were very much part of the family Christmas at Sandringham and ‘will be seen’ at future family celebrations.

But under the current circumstances, as their father is investigated by police over allegations of misconduct in public office, permission has been sought and granted for them to stay away.

In what will be good news for royal fans, however, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family are expected to join the King and Queen, along with other family members at St George’s Chapel.

Disgraced former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson appeared at last year’s Easter Sunday service with other members of the Royal Family, including King Charles and Queen Camilla.

But there will be no such appearance from Andrew this year at the traditional Easter Matins service which takes place at the 15th-century chapel in Berkshire.

Andrew is currently under police investigation for allegedly leaking secrets to paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein during his time in public office.

On Saturday, reports claimed the FBI investigated the former Duke over claims he sought young girls for sex during a taxpayer-funded royal tour. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.

Next month, Andrew, 66, will move into Marsh Lodge, a five-bedroom bolthole shielded from public view by a 6ft fence.

He had a second-hand static caravan delivered to his current home a few days ago, which has been propped up on bricks in his back garden, bearing signs of moss.

The caravan – a £26,000 Willerby Meridian Lodge – was paid for using money his brother, King Charles, gave him for ‘living expenses’ and it will house his security detail as there is not enough space in his main Norfolk home.

The standard model is a two-bedroom unit that is also decidedly no-frills on the inside. With brown or grey carpets, vinyl flooring and faux-wood countertops throughout, it also features a compact kitchen with a metal sink and a small, grey-painted living area.

One source said: ‘Andrew uses it himself, would you believe, and what’s more shocking is, he likes it. He really is a changed man; he’s enjoyed sitting in the caravan. It’s novel for him.’

Another added: ‘People thought the caravan was for his staff, but he doesn’t really have any. The staff who work elsewhere at Sandringham already help out, but many are reluctant to live in.’

Despite the Epstein scandal which has engulfed their family, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie continue to have second homes inside King Charles’s palaces despite not being working royals – all thanks to a ‘rental deal’ struck by their father.

The disgraced former Duke of York has been arrested, kicked out of Royal Lodge and has not had an office at Buckingham Palace for four years due to the Epstein scandal.

But he has also successfully pushed for his children to ‘retain a foothold’ in palaces belonging to his older brother, the King.

As a consequence, Princess Beatrice still has an apartment in St James’s Palace, despite her main home being in the Cotswolds, it was said.

And Eugenie has Ivy Cottage, a three-bedroom property at Kensington Palace, which apparently serves as a ‘bolthole’ because she spends half the year living in Portugal.

It is highly unlikely that the siblings will be paying the market rates of between £15,000 and £19,000-a-month for homes in two of London’s most illustrious addresses.