EXCLUSIVE: Princess Kate Middleton 'Severs Ties With Beatrice and Eugenie' Amid Fresh Epstein Scrutiny
Princess Kate Middleton has allegedly severed ties with Beatrice and Eugenie amid fresh scrutiny.
Aug. 12 2026, Published 3:52 p.m. ET
Catherine, Princess of Wales is said to have put further distance between herself and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as renewed scrutiny surrounding their parents threatens to create another headache for the royal family.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Kate, 44, and Prince William, also 44, have increasingly found themselves at the center of the monarchy as the future king and queen, while Beatrice, 38, and Eugenie, 36, remain closely associated with their parents, the former Prince Andrew, 66, and Sarah Ferguson, also 66, whose links with predator Jeffrey Epstein has cost them their royal titles.
Kate Reportedly Cuts Ties With York Sisters
Princess Kate created distance between herself and the York sisters.
Neither Beatrice nor Eugenie has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
The reported distance between Catherine and the York sisters also comes against a longer history of suggestions Kate, Beatrice and Eugenie have never formed a particularly close relationship, despite occupying the same extended royal circle.
Kate and Eugenie both attended Marlborough College, but reports have long portrayed their respective experiences and personalities as markedly different.
Kate subsequently entered the royal family after marrying William in 2011 and has cultivated a carefully controlled public image while preparing for her eventual role as queen.
Eugenie, meanwhile, is said to have remained close to Prince Harry, 41, despite his increasingly strained relationship with William and other senior members of the royal family.
William's Feelings Put Yorks Under Scrutiny
Prince William expressed strong feelings regarding his uncle Andrew.
The wider relationship between William and the York family has also attracted scrutiny because of his reported feelings toward Andrew.
Beatrice and Eugenie have continued maintaining their own lives while periodically attending royal events in the wake of their parents' Epstein scandal, although neither is a working member of the royal family.
Any distance between them and Kate has not been publicly confirmed by the Princess of Wales, Kensington Palace or the York sisters themselves.
The renewed attention nevertheless places the sisters' complicated position within the wider royal family back under scrutiny – particularly as William and Kate's roles become increasingly important to the monarchy.
Kate's Reported Royal Family Rift
Kate prioritized protecting her family and the future monarchy.
A royal source exclusively told Radar: "Kate has effectively severed what little relationship she had with Beatrice and Eugenie. There hasn't been some dramatic confrontation or explosive falling-out – it has been much quieter than that. The contact has simply disappeared. Kate understands that everything she and William do now is viewed through the prism of them being the future king and queen.
"The feeling is that Kate cannot afford to be dragged into another scandal by association. Beatrice and Eugenie have not been accused of wrongdoing, and nobody is suggesting otherwise, but the renewed scrutiny surrounding their parents has made an already complicated relationship even more difficult.
"Kate and Eugenie were never particularly close, so there wasn't an enormous friendship there to lose. But there was previously a family connection and a degree of warmth. That's largely gone. Kate's priority is William, their children and protecting the future of the monarchy.
"William's feelings about Andrew are extremely strong and Kate is completely supportive of her husband. They believe there has to be a very clear line between the future of the monarchy and the controversies that have engulfed the York family.
York Sisters Left Outside Kate's Circle
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The York sisters found themselves outside the trusted royal circle.
"It's desperately difficult for Beatrice and Eugenie because they are Andrew and Sarah's daughters, but they are not responsible for their parents' actions. There is sympathy for the position they find themselves in, but sympathy doesn't necessarily translate into closeness.
"Kate is extremely conscious of appearances. She knows a photograph, an invitation or even a friendly public exchange can suddenly become a story about whether the Yorks are being rehabilitated. She doesn't want to create that ambiguity.
"Nobody expects a public declaration that ties have been cut. That's simply not how the royal family operates. You see it instead through who is invited, who is around the Waleses, and who remains inside their trusted circle. Beatrice and Eugenie appear increasingly outside it."
