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The British royal family has been under a ton of strain lately. When Prince Andrew was ousted from public royal life due to his association with the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, a ton of his work was thrown onto the shoulders of the remaining senior royals. However, before anyone could truly get adjusted to this, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex announced they would be leaving the royal family.

Though the Sussexes’ troubles have been very obvious, no one including the royals saw Megxit coming. With Queen Elizabeth II in her wiser years, much of the weight, appearances, and charities have fallen to Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Many royal fans and experts assumed the Cambridges would turn to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie for a helping hand. However, it appears the Duchess of Cambridge has never been close with the Princesses of York.

Kate Middleton has had some tension with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge dated for 10 years before getting married. However, in the years before their 2011 wedding, the Duchess of Cambridge was often discussed and buzzed about by royal fans and the press. For the princesses who had been royal their entire lives, this was reportedly a point of contention.

Things got worse at the duchess 2008′ roller skating charity event when she apparently gave Princess Beatrice the cold shoulder all evening. Then in 2011, the Cambridges did not invite Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s mother, Sarah of York to the wedding.

Since then, Prince Charles has been trying to streamline the royal family. “This would increase the workload for those who remain but it would allow for less drama, less opportunity for scandals and create a more streamlined monarchy,”  The Talko reports. However, this has also pushed the Yorks further into the background.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex has taken on more royal duties

Instead of turning to the Yorks, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William have been leaning on Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex to help with the long list of royal duties. “Edward has molded into a quiet and efficient figure who does not seek attention or acquire headlines,” a source told Express. “He and Sophie are liked for being dutiful and uncomplaining.”

Since the Wessexes don’t garner the same amount of attention as the younger royals they are seen as a steadier force. “Her work does not regularly receive the kind of media attention that the younger royals command, but Sophie, now 55, has become a stalwart member of the firm,” Town & Country reports. “Her husband is far down the pecking order at 11th in line to the throne, but the Wessexes are two of just a handful of full-time working royals. And the spotlight on Sophie has intensified in the vacuum left as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle step back.”

Kate Middleton will never be close with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

With Prince Charles’ new approach to the royal family, it would seem that the Yorks will never get the attention that they seek. Through no fault of their own, they seem to have also suffered from their parents, Sarah, Duchess of York and Prince Andrew’s indiscretions.

“Despite being the only young ‘blood Princesses’ (in other words, born royal), Beatrice and Eugenie have been reduced to walk-on parts in Royal Family life,” an insider told Express. “It particularly hurt when Kate did solo engagements with the Queen during the Diamond Jubilee. They felt snubbed.”

Hopefully, Princess Beatrice will be able to at least have the wedding of her dreams in 2021 since her planned wedding was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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