Princess Eugenie's Royal Rep Reportedly Got A Boost By Ditching Harry And Meghan
The speculated drama amongst members of the modern British royal family is enough to fill a multitude of history books. One of the rumors being spread around is that Princess Eugenie cut ties with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to boost her reputation within the royal ranks. One of the ups and downs of Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice's relationship with Catherine, Princess of Wales was that they were still close with Harry and Meghan. In fact, it was reported that Harry's royal rift was anxiety-inducing for Princess Eugenie and her sister due to them understanding both perspectives.
However, in May 2024, Beatrice and Eugenie attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace. That same month, the sisters didn't go to an Invictus Games event in London, leaving some to believe that they were choosing William, Prince of Wales and the other royals over Harry. A few weeks later, a royal insider spoke to Woman's Day per Express about the situation, claiming that Eugenie was "[blacklisted]" after Meghan and Harry stayed with her in 2023. The source felt that things had changed, continuing, "[Eugenie] didn't reach out to Harry when she was in LA in February. This confirmed his worst fears that his last line to his family was over."
Why didn't Eugenie and Beatrice go to Harry's event?
However, other accounts imply that Princess Eugenie hasn't kicked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the curb. She is most likely just in the crossfire of Harry and William, Prince of Wales' feud. Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, spoke with GB News in May 2024 about Harry's 10-year anniversary Invictus Games event. Fitzwilliams felt that although Eugenie and Princess Beatrice historically got along well with Harry, the reason they didn't attend was due to the optics. "They [Beatrice and Eugenie] would not have been expected to be there because that would have been a sign of a split in the Royal Family," Fitzwilliams said. "You would have had royals there, some there and not others, that would have been seized on."
The commentator also felt the sisters would have talked to King Charles III ahead of time if they were planning to accept Harry's invite. "There would have been no way Beatrice and Eugenie would have attended an event like that without the King's consent," Fitzwilliams said. If that's the case, perhaps they did want to go but were worried about causing bad press. Or perhaps they were busy that day — Marie Claire reported that two days prior to the Invictus Games celebration, Beatrice was in New York. As for Eugenie, she and her family don't live in the U.K. all the time and often reside in Portugal.
Princess Eugenie and her husband have been close with the Sussexes
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank were the first family members Prince Harry introduced to Meghan Markle, and the couples reportedly went on double dates. It's also reported that Eugenie was friends with Meghan before the "Suits" actor even met Harry, due to a mutual friendship with Misha Nonoo. The Daily Mail shared silly Halloween snapshots of the couples with their friend Markus Anderson, which were taken before Harry and Meghan publicly announced their relationship. The photos were shared in the "Harry & Meghan" docuseries, which Eugenie also appeared in for some scenes filmed at Harry and Meghan's California home.
After Eugenie went to Super Bowl 2022 with Harry, a source spoke to MailOnline about Harry and Eugenie's bond as well as her friendship with Meghan. The source said, "[Eugenie] refuses to abandon him. She is a very loyal lady. She is not one for taking sides."
In April 2023, a source from the palace told Radar Online that Catherine, Princess of Wales was reportedly not happy about Eugenie and Princess Beatrice still being close with Harry and Meghan. They also spoke about Kate Middleton's fears of the sisters spilling sensitive information. However, recent photos in the Daily Mail showed Eugenie and Prince William smiling and goofing around at the 2024 Royal Ascot event, suggesting their relationship is still close. That raises the question: Did Eugenie really ditch Harry, or is she just staying out of family drama?