Skip to main content

After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals and moved to America, the duke and duchess’s relationships with many members of Harry’s family became strained. But even after the couple’s explosive sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, jabs at the monarchy in other interviews, their Netflix docuseries, and Harry’s memoir Spare, the prince’s cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, remained close with the Sussexes.

In fact, Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, visited the prince and Suits star at their home in California. And the princess was featured briefly in the Harry &Meghan docuseries. But now, it’s being reported that the duke and duchess’s only allies in the royal family are no more. Read on to find out why.

Why Beatrice and Eugenie haven’t been speaking to Harry and Meghan

Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour
Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour 2018 | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

So what happened? Why aren’t the princesses close with the Sussexes anymore? Well, according to a source who spoke to Express, it has to do with comments Beatrice and Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, made about not knowing Meghan.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the Duchess of York denied knowing Harry’s wife saying: “I don’t really know Meghan. I haven’t really met her.”

However, the insider claimed that’s not the case and something Sarah said in an effort to distance herself from the Sussexes.

“They were neighbors. Royal Lodge is basically next door to Frogmore and the Yorks and Sussexes met quite often,” the source explained. “Sarah taught Meghan how to curtsy and there have been other meetings. Both Harry and Meghan were quite surprised by Sarah’s comments and couldn’t understand why she would distance herself like that. It has caused a bit of distance between the families.”

The princesses have aligned themselves with the royal family now

Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and other royal family members attend the National Service of Thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth II
Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and other royal family members attend the National Service of Thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth II | Dan Kitwood -WPA Pool/Getty Images

The publication’s insider added that since then Beatrice and Eugenie have become distant, sharing: “They haven’t communicated with the Sussexes for quite a while now. They are nowhere near as close as they once were.”

There have been signs that the York sisters pulled back from the Sussexes and aligned themselves with the monarchy again with the source insisting: “Beatrice and Eugenie have firmly pledged their allegiance to the royal family.”

That was evident when the princesses opted not to attend a service in London with Harry to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.

Moreover, it’s been reported that during a recent trip to Los Angeles, Eugenie did not contact her cousin or his wife about getting together. And she recently posted about attending Prince William’s Garden Party and announced her public support for the family on Instagram writing: “Come rain or shine, I was delighted to support my family yesterday to meet some special individuals at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party who have gone above and beyond to support their local communities and the country.”