Beatrice gives William a peck on the cheek at Peter Phillips’ wedding,
Prince William was seen giving his cousin Princess Beatrice a kiss on the cheek today as the royals descended on All Saints Church in Gloucestershire today to celebrate Peter Phillips’ second wedding.
Before the affectionate embrace from the future royal, Beatrice arrived at her cousins nuptials to NHS Harriet Sperling with her sister Princess Eugenie and their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.
The daughters of disgraced ex-duke, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, arrived with smiles at today’s ceremony despite an ‘outrageous’ National Audit Office report revealing they had never paid a penny in rent despite doing no royal duties.
Princess Beatrice could first seen in the passenger seat of a Range Rover shortly after midday before heading in to the venue, as droves of guests descended on Gloucestershire Church ahead of Princess Anne’s son and his NHS nurse bride.
The 37-year-old was seen wearing an Alice band and a green and white dress printed dress with leaves as she prepared to celebrate the King’s nephew, 48, and his 45-year-old his new wife.
She walked arm in arm with her husband Edoardo, who held an umbrella amid the downcast weather.
Her sister Eugenie, who is due to give birth to her third child this summer, followed closely behind with her husband, Jack, dressed in all navy with matching shoes and a hat.
Meanwhile, their other cousin, Prince Harry, was a no-show at Peter’s wedding today as he is said not to have spoken with his cousin ‘in years’.
And while sources have said the Waleses’ presence would have inevitably played a part, his strained relationship with Peter largely stems from an incident almost two decades ago.
The Duke of Sussex was said to be furious with Peter after his cousin’s first wedding to Canadian Autumn Kelly, which he attended with his then girlfriend Chelsy Davey, as Peter struck a deal with Hello! magazine without telling the family.
But the arrival of his cousins, the York sisters, has come amid another bombshell – this time in direct relation to their finances.
Yesterday, the cosy deals from which both royals – working and not working – benefited from in relation to residences were laid bare by a National Audit Office report.
It revealed the two princesses, who perform no royal duties, have been secretly subsidised for years, not only by their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, but now by their uncle King Charles III.
Sources said the arrangement for Beatrice and Eugenie was put in place during the late monarch’s reign, who was very fond of her granddaughters, and the King had agreed to honour it.
From 2008, both of the York sisters lived at St James’s Palace until Eugenie moved to Ivy Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2018.
Prince William kisses his cousin Princess Beatrice on the cheek at All Saints Church in Kemble
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice arrived with smiles at Peter Phillips wedding today despite an ‘outrageous’ National Audit Office report into their family finances
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie arrive with their husbands at the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sterling at All Saints Church in Kemble today
Zara Tindall was spotted greeting the princesses with open arms at the wedding ceremony
Zara exchanged greetings with Princess Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, before heading into the church
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice of York arrive for the Royal wedding. Beatrice can be seen wearing a green dresss adorned with leaves coupled with a cream handbag and Alice band
Mr Mozzi shuts his umbrella as he, Beatrice, Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank prepare to celebrate his cousin-in-law and his NHS nurse bride
Princess Eugenie places her hand on the shoulder of Mia Tindall, who is wearing a floral blue and white dress
Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie pictured at the Chime for Change: The Sound of Change Live at Twickenham Stadium on June 1, 2013 in London
Their cousin, Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling announced their engagement last summer
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (pictured at the Kyiv Security Forum on April 23) is expected to be a no-show at the wedding of Princess Anne’s son today
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Why ‘Fergie-like’ Beatrice and Eugenie should not be welcome in William’s Royal Family
Eugenie, 38, now divides her time between her £3.6million Portuguese home and London, boasting a star-studded list of neighbours, including fashion designer Christian Louboutin as well as F1 racing drivers.
Meanwhile, her sister Beatrice, 37, stayed at her apartment, which she shares with her high-flying property developer husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi and their family, whilst also owning a multi-million pound home in the Cotswolds.
Both rents, the report reveals, are paid to the Royal Household entirely by Charles out of the Privy Purse, which is made up of his Duchy of Lancaster income and other private funds. No taxpayer money was involved.
However, the homes are situated in occupied royal palaces, which are maintained by public funding via the Sovereign Grant, which was effectively reimbursed by the monarch on their behalf.
And for a number of years, their adjusted rents – reduced because the Royal Household properties require tenants with security clearance – were based on out-of-date open market valuations, as were others.
Some of the properties were dramatically under market value, with the report finding that not even a self-imposed 60 per cent rule was always followed.
However, they were not the only royals to face scrutiny, with other revelations, such as their father being allowed to let three properties on his leased Windsor Estate to staff for a potential profit, being lambasted as ‘outrageous’.
Shamed Andrew may also be entitled to more than £300,000 in ‘compensation’ from the Crown Estate after he was booted out of the Royal Lodge after paying ‘peppercorn’ rent for over two decades before the end of his 75-year lease.
The 66-year-old was kicked out of the Grade-II listed mansion by his monarch brother after being stripped of his Prince title over his friendship with paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein, which emerged. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
But his daughters were not the only royals to benefit from subsidised rent, as Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have long enjoyed a sovereign-subsidised arrangement at a luxurious apartment in Kensington Palace.
The NAO report, which was sparked amid revelations that Andrew was paying ‘peppercorn rent’ at the Royal Lodge, is factual but does not seek to examine value for money.
However, a number of questions are likely to be raised over its contents by MPs in the next few months.
Should Beatrice and Eugenie have roles in Prince William’s future slimmed-down monarchy?
Harriet Sperling in all white as she makes the walk to All Saints Church in Kemble today
Princess of Wales arrives for the Wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling at All Saints Church in Kemble
The Prince and Princess of Wales enter the church side by side today
King Charles arrives at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire, ahead of the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling
Queen Camilla arrives for Peter Phillips wedding to Harriet Sperling in Gloucestershire
Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker, who has long been a critic of royal finances, said: ‘The whole thing is outrageous. If you look at Andrew, this is adding insult to injury.
‘It shows an absolute total contempt for the taxpayer. The money should have gone to the Crown Estate, not into (his) pockets.’
He said of Beatrice and Eugenie: ‘There’s no way that non-working members of the Royal Family should be subsidised by the Duchy of Lancaster. The Royal Family is yet again taking the public for a complete ride.’
Amid the discovery, it was claimed the two sisters now ‘symbolise a rot at the heart’ of the Royal Family – alongside ‘their ‘greedy’ and ‘grifting’ parents.
Tina Brown, a friend of Princess Diana’s as well as a journalist, claimed Prince William had a dim perspective on his cousins, who she says ‘rejected’ his bid to have the activities of their firms audited.
This claim was also made by royal author Andrew Lownie.
Meanwhile, the former editor-in-chief of Tatler and Vanity Fair said the House of York has ‘come to symbolise a rot at the heart of the whole royal system, in which the monarchy’s “aura” allows its members absolute impunity’.
‘I am not in the camp that believes the two gushing York daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, should be welcome in the cleaned-up Royal ensemble,’ she said.
‘Floating around the UAE and Saudi Arabia as “cultural ambassadors” to the Middle East sounds horribly Fergie-like to me.
‘Most of the “convenings” they attend are hustle bazaars for nepo nightmares and crypto creeps hoovering around for the crumbs of sovereign wealth funds.’
In her Substack column Fresh Hell, before the NAO report dropped, she added: ”One wonders why they allegedly rejected Prince William’s request to audit their business activities to ensure there are no reputational risks.’
Taking aim at Fergie’s hunger for cash even after the Epstein scandal, she added: ‘Who in their right mind would hire a garrulous, freeloading shopaholic like Sarah Ferguson to be “brand ambassador” to grow their business.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘We are grateful to the National Audit Office for this report, which is in line with The Royal Household’s commitment to transparency.
‘We hope that the findings will help correct, clarify or contextualise a number of points regarding royal properties.
‘As the report notes, arrangements for properties managed by the Royal Household vary based on a number of factors to ensure residences are filled appropriately, depending on their location, tenants and purpose.’
A spokesman for the Crown Estate said: ‘The Crown Estate welcomes the National Audit Office’s review which confirms its leases with members of the Royal Family were agreed in line with independent, professional advice and open market valuations.’
