Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s defiant emails to daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly sent defiant emails to his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, urging them to “hold their heads high” amid his fall from grace.

The disgraced former Duke of York, 66, has kept a low profile in recent months amid renewed scrutiny over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But he is said to have no interest in retreating from royal life completely and feels hard done by.

According to the Daily Mail, Beatrice and Eugenie were in two minds about whether to attend the recent wedding of their cousin Peter Phillips to Harriet Sperling.

But the former prince reportedly emailed his daughters encouraging them to attend. Rather than making a discreet arrival, the sisters walked down the public road accompanied by their husbands.

Andrew was said to be keen for his daughters to show they are “fighters” and “princesses of blood” who should be “treated properly”.

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“I think Eugenie and Beatrice feel the same. They just take it as natural that they should be able to support Saudi businesses and be paid to attend events. That’s what they’ve done all their lives, and they don’t see why that should change,” royal expert Andrew Lownie told The Mirror.

“They’re not seeming too affected by this. I think most people would go quietly under a stone and let the whole kind of crisis pass when they just seem to be embracing it.”

Stripped of his title

Despite Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson being stripped of their royal titles in October 2025, Andrew is reportedly keen for his daughters to retain theirs.

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King Charles, unlike his younger brother, is said to possess a “non-confrontational” personality type and is eager to keep tensions low with his brother.

Andrew reportedly feels like he has been used as a scapegoat and is trying to chase down thousands of pounds from the Crown Estate after he was forced from the Royal Lodge.

Under his original lease agreement, he could receive over £301,000 for an early surrender of the property but it is said to be unlikely he’ll receive any payment given the extensive renovations and repairs required on the property.

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Relationship with Sarah Ferguson

Andrew is said to be demanding a payout for his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who was also thrown out of the property.

The scandal has reportedly come between the former Duke and Duchess of York, who are said to be “not talking much”.

Lownie said Sarah has friends who have been “accommodating” her, but the danger is that she “potentially can’t control her spending”.