There is no better friend – and safety net – than a sister, or so the saying goes.
But it is evidently true for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who after months of grief caused by their parents and the Epstein Files still enjoy a warm and close relationship.
With both their parents in hiding, the siblings were spotted enjoying the Spring sunshine in central London on Thursday after a lunch together at the exclusive and chichi Soho Mews House in Mayfair.
Hours later a happy Eugenie, 36, was all smiles again as she enjoyed a date night with her husband Jack Brooksbank, 39, at a Michelin-starred bistro in Notting Hill.
Eugenie is known to be a doting parent who has repeatedly spoken about the joys of motherhood.
But she and her husband of seven years also looked to have thoroughly enjoyed a night without their sons August, five, and Ernest, two.
The mother-of-two wore a long, loose, black dress and khaki shirt with Jack wearing jeans, trainers, a dark jacket and a wide grin as they left Dorian Restaurant.
Hours earlier, in rare public appearance together since the Epstein scandal engulfed the House of York, Beatrice and Eugenie chatted animatedly as they walked through Mayfair near Hanover Square.
Princesses Eugenie (left) and Beatrice (right) were spotted together after having lunch in London’s ritzy Mayfair neighbourhood
The sisters were spotted in Mayfair after leaving a relaxed lunch at Soho Mews House
Beatrice was clutching her mobile phone as they walked along the street
One witness said they looked ‘in great spirits as they made the most of the sunshine’.
The younger York sister led the way carrying a light summer jacket and bag while Beatrice, 37, followed her on a narrow path clutching her mobile phone.
Tourists wandering through London’s most exclusive neighbourhood appeared oblivious to the fact they were brushing past royalty.
A few hours later Eugenie was spotted out for dinner with her husband having left their young sons at home.
The couple, who split their time between a Portuguese villa and a Kensington Palace cottage, affectionately call their boys Augie and Ernie.
Eugenie and Jack enjoyed a date night at the Michelin-starred Dorian.
The restaurant, a modern bistro in the heart of Notting Hill, is run by chef-owner Max Coen.
Eugenie clearly enjoyed her night and was all smiles as she left with her husband and got into the back of a black cab with friends.
Beatrice and Eugenie’s Soho Mews House lunch together on Thursday is the first time the sisters have been seen together in London since November.
Then they were spotted hugging each other on the street in Mayfair just hours after their father was stripped of all his royal titles.
Again without their parents, Beatrice and Eugenie then joined the Royal Family at Sandringham on Christmas Day as King Charles showed his support for his nieces.
Princess Eugenie (right) stayed out after the lunch to enjoy a date night with her husband Jack Brooksbank (left)
Despite the turmoil caused by her parents and the Epstein files, Eugenie beamed after the meal at Dorian, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Notting Hill
Eugenie and Jack climbed into a black cab after their bistro dinner
The princess and her husband, who have a young family, had been joined by friends for the rare night out
The appearance in Sandringham, where their father has been forced to move to, was their last public appearance together for four months.
Neither have been seen with their mother and father.
A royal source recently told the Daily Mail that ever-dutiful Beatrice, in particular, has found herself walking a tightrope, torn between filial loyalty and a desire to preserve her own status within the Royal Family as ninth in line to the throne.
The more feisty Eugenie, meanwhile, is said to have taken a harder line against her beleaguered father – although there were reports she helped her mother with a place to stay in Doha during a work trip in February.
It has been a busy time for Eugenie, who was spotted at a high society wedding in Sicily a week ago.
The princess attended the wedding of hotel tycoon Sir Rocco Forte’s son Charles and handbag designer Georgie Wright, which took place at the Cathedral of Montreale on Saturday April 25.
The daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was pictured at the hotel Villa Igiea in Palermo in the background of photographs shared by socialite Jazzy de Lisser.
Eugenie could be seen speaking with guests and wearing a black gown while looking at the bride.
She has been close to the Forte family for years and attended Irene Forte’s wedding to Felix Winckler in Italy in 2021.
It is not known if Eugenie was accompanied by her children or husband at the 350-person star-studded wedding, which counted Lady Lola Bute and Tish Weinstock among the guests.
She has been keeping a low profile since shameful revelations about her parents emerged when the Epstein files were released in January.
The last time she was spotted before the wedding was at a birthday dinner with her husband Jack Brooksbank at the River Cafe in west London in February.
Her mother Sarah Ferguson has been even more elusive since the Epstein scandal.
Eugenie was pictured (top right) at the hotel Villa Igiea in Palermo in the background of photographs shared by socialite Jazzy de Lisser
The princess was spotted chatting to guests and looking admiringly at the bride
The princesses are said to have been left drained by the fallout of their parents Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s friendship with the paedophile Epstein. The emails from their mother and father dragged them into the scandal
The disgraced former royal, 66, is urgently seeking refuge with friends after she was spotted staying at a £2,000-a-night apartment at the Mayrlife wellness spa in Altaussee, near Salzburg, Austria.
Despite a disastrous few months for the Mountbatten-Windsors, which culminated with the arrest of Andrew in February, Eugenie and sister Beatrice are believed to have been invited to Royal Ascot by King Charles.
The sisters are in line for an appearance in the official carriage procession and Royal Enclosure at the racing festival this June.
Charles is said to be 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.
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.
Meanwhile, Eugenie’s mother is searching for a new bolthole.
According to sources with knowledge of her recent Austrian stay, Fergie barely left her first-floor two-bedroom chalet overlooking the stunningly beautiful lake and was never seen on the large balcony.
She ordered all her meals via room service – bresaola beef with mozzarella was a favourite, as was chicken breast, it was said.
Sources close to Fergie say that she remains in constant touch with her daughters princesses Beatrice and Eugenie on the phone, while both of them have been increasingly concerned over her mental health.
Despite the mounting pressure on her, friends describe a woman who is tired but not broken. ‘She just wants a door that doesn’t open for strangers,’ a source said.
‘That’s all it is. She wants to breathe.’
The King’s household has made plain for some time that the former duchess is no longer part of official royal life.
She is not invited to Sandringham or Balmoral and will never appear on the Palace balcony again.
