Prince William & Princess Beatrice Have Drastically Different Views On Her Place In The Royal Family

The royal family can't seemingly go a week without getting into a disagreement, but the issue that has left William, Prince of Wales at odds with his cousin Princess Beatrice may come as a surprise, especially considering what side of the conflict on which they each find themselves. 

As a result of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and King Charles III's cancer diagnoses, the British royal family has found itself in a bit of a pickle. Understandably, both the princess and the king need ample time to recover, and William, Prince of Wales as well as Queen Camilla both need to tend to their spouses during this difficult time. However, these four members of the House of Windsor also happen to be the most important working royals with the most public, front-facing duties, so their coincidental and abrupt steps back have had a noticeable effect on the royal family's PR.

Princess Beatrice is one of the most well-known members of the family today, so she's an obvious potential choice to step into the void that's been created by this crisis. Prince William has reportedly been thrilled with the assistance that she has offered, but Beatrice may be facing an incoming crisis of her own, and it could have a catastrophic effect on her current and future role as a public face of British royalty.

Prince Andrew's part in the Jeffrey Epstein case is widely known, and the disastrous "Newsnight" interview that the Duke of York gave in an attempt to defend himself has become even more notorious. But Princess Beatrice's presence and involvement in the negotiations for the interview has not been scrutinized much by the public ... until now.

On April 5, 2024, Netflix released "Scoop," a dramatized, fictionalized version of Prince Andrew's interview and the chaos surrounding it, which has sparked some renewed interest in Princess Beatrice's role. To make matters worse, Amazon is in the process of creating its own miniseries about the event called "A Very Royal Scandal," which Beatrice will likely feature in as well. The narrative will be based on the experience of interviewer Emily Maitlis, and according to a source who spoke to OK! Magazine, "Bea is dreading the release of Emily's version of events because she thinks she will feature more heavily in it."

Understandably, a revitalized curiosity about her father's transgressions is not something that will benefit Princess Beatrice's public image. However, given that the royals need to step up amid King Charles and Kate Middleton's illnesses, this double-whammy of intense negative coverage couldn't be coming at a worse time for Princess Beatrice.

King Charles III began his reign with the intention of slimming down the monarchy, but that choice has already come back to haunt him because of the health crises with which he and his daughter-in-law are now coping. Princess Beatrice has wanted a working role within the royal family for years, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to prove her worth to the monarchy. However, more attention on Prince Andrew's Epstein scandal could have King Charles and Prince William pumping the brakes on Beatrice.

Regarding Princess Beatrice's precarious position, the source explained to OK! Magazine that "this is the last thing she needed. Charles and William were starting to see her as a pivotal part of plugging the gap within the family, but she feels like that's all been ruined now." 

At present, the British royal family clearly has bigger fish to fry, but Prince Andrew's abhorrent history will likely continue to be a thorn in everyone's sides for years to come. As far as Beatrice is concerned, her worries may be unfounded, as she has made appearances at major public events like Royal Ascot in June 2024, which took place nearly two months after OK! Magazine's source voiced their concerns about her role within the family.