Prince William’s kiss for Princess Beatrice shows King Charles is ‘reasserting his control’ over the Royal Family and wants his son to welcome his ‘freeloading’ cousins back into the fold, a royal expert has claimed.
William appeared eager to maintain the ‘bond’ between himself and Beatrice as they attended their cousin Peter Phillips’s wedding to Harriet Sperling in Kemble, Gloucestershire, yesterday.
It came just hours after the release of an ‘outrageous’ National Audit report which revealed Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie have never paid a penny in rent.
The pair perform no royal duties, have their own careers and high-flying husbands, yet have lived free of charge in exclusive palace properties for nearly two decades.
Beatrice and Eugenie had already taken a step back from the spotlight following the downfall of their parents – Sarah Ferguson and the disgraced ex-Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – over their friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
While the recent scandals have threatened to divide the Royal Family, William’s kiss on the cheek for his cousin yesterday showed an attempt by his father Charles to regain control, royal author Tom Sykes has claimed.
‘Yesterday was an expression of Charles pulling power back. This is what Charles wanted to see yesterday,’ he said.
‘William was making it clear that he is a loyal servant and will ultimately go along with what his father wants, per the military foundational structures of the Royal Family.’
Meanwhile, royal expert Tom Bower told the Daily Mail that William’s affection towards Beatrice was ‘not clever PR’, adding any warmth towards the York sisters should be shown in private.
Prince William leans in to kiss Princess Beatrice on the cheek at Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s wedding in Kemble yesterday
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice arrive for the Royal wedding yesterday
Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince William leave the royal wedding on Saturday
Mr Sykes wrote in his publication, The Royalist: ‘In the real world, people are very angry about the treatment given to these two sisters, whom they regard as grifters and freeloaders from a family with a long history of grifting and freeloading.’
According to Mr Bower, Charles should be considering the family’s ‘tainted image’ when navigating William’s interactions with the Yorks.
He told the Mail: ‘Undoubtedly, it would be wrong to forbid the sisters to attend family weddings, especially if invited by their cousin. And, once present, how can any civilised Briton not expect the Prince of Wales to greet his relative? That would be hugely discourteous and uncivilised.
‘The solution would be to restrict shows of affection to areas beyond the cameras. In public, the sisters should remain at a distance from any controversial encounter. Both Beatrice and Eugenie need to accept that, right or wrong, they are tainted by their parents’ vulgar greed.’
Mr Bower added: ‘The Royal Family needs to consider its tainted image. Embracing the sisters in public is not clever PR. Kissing them arouses unease.’
The royal expert agreed with Mr Sykes that the ‘real world’ will be furious to see the sisters welcomed back so soon after the revelations of their rent-free living.
Mr Bower said: ‘Many will be appalled that in the same week that the sisters were exposed as living rent-free in a royal palace they were welcomed into the royal fold. And the critics are right. It does look bad.’
However, others argued William has always been close to his cousins, who are not blamed by senior royals for the actions of their parents.
Royal author Phil Dampier told the Mail: ‘The King and Prince William have always been very fond of Beatrice and Eugenie and don’t blame them for the sins of their parents.
‘The way they were warmly greeted at Peter Phillips’s wedding shows they are still very much in the family fold and I’m sure they will still be invited to Sandringham at Christmas and other events.’
He added: ‘When they were young William and Harry used to jokingly call Beatrice “Queen Bea” as she could potentially have come to the throne if some tragedy had befallen them before they had children.
‘They’ve always had a good relationship and William’s kiss showed the affection between them.’
Beatrice and Eugenie’s appearance at the wedding came hours after it emerged the sisters have been secretly subsidised for years by their grandmother Queen Elizabeth and now by their uncle Charles.
Kate stuns in a pale dress for the royal wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling
Princess Catherine adjusts her hat following the royal wedding yesterday
Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and their husbands arrive for the nuptials yesterday
Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker, who has long been a critic of royal finances, said: ‘The Royal Family is yet again taking the public for a complete ride.’
The York sisters lived at St James’s Palace from 2008, before Eugenie, now 36, moved to Ivy Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2018. She now splits her time between London and a £3.6million Portuguese home.
Her neighbours are said to include F1 racing drivers and fashion designer Christian Louboutin.
Beatrice, 37, stayed on at the apartment, which she shares with her husband, property developer Edo Mapelli Mozzi, and their family, while also owning a multi-million pound home in the Cotswolds.
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William’s cheek kiss to Beatrice showed a desire to ‘display fondness’, body language expert claims
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.
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.’
