Why Princess Eugenie's public appearance is proof King Charles will not turn his back on his nieces

OPINION -- When King Charles' pet project The King's Foundation took to Instagram this week with a post about its recent 35 under 35 network event, there was one glaring inclusion.

"A mentoring morning with HRH Princess Eugenie and The King's Foundation's 35 under 35 network," began the post, which was uploaded to both The King's Foundation and Princess Eugenie Instagram accounts.

"Earlier this week, @PrincessEugenie spent time with members of the @kingsfoundation 35 under 35 network at the @broadwicksoho, alongside a range of other inspiring mentors representing different areas of expertise."

King Charles' action has proven he won't turn his back on princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

When Princess Eugenie, 35, was announced as one of the Foundation's mentors back in May, she said she was "delighted to be working with this group of exceptional young people who have been selected thanks to their outstanding work in areas The King is passionate about".

But in the six months since then we've seen her father Andrew's spectacular final fall from grace.

It's seen him stripped of all his titles, honours and stylings and even erased from the royal family's official website, which has left many wondering what happens next for his daughters.

While many royal experts, including Robert Hardman, said life would go on somewhat as normal for the two princesses, others wondered how this would be possible.

But Eugenie's inclusion in such a high profile post on The King's Foundation Instagram page proves that King Charles will not turn his back on his nieces.

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Founded by King Charles in 1990 to "teach and demonstrate principles of traditional urban design and architecture", it has undergone a number of name changes, including The Prince's Foundation and later The King's Foundation.

It has been a pet project of King Charles ever since, and the importance of Eugenie's appointment as one of the mentors – in the year that she turned 35 – was not lost on royal watchers.

But given both Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice have recently been dragged into muddy waters following their father's, let's call them 'indiscretions', it could have been enough for the King to distance himself from the pair.

Instead, Eugenie's inclusion in three of the eight photos uploaded to social media pointed to a show of support for the York children from the King himself.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were among members of the royal family who attended the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla.

As royal expert Ingrid Seward told The Sun: "What it means to my mind is that the King is determined to embrace his nieces, both Beatrice and Eugenie, and bring them into the royal fold in a way where they don't feel they're just being gratuitously pulled in, but they're actually doing something for it.

"I think that Charles feels quite responsible for these two girls, because it's been a hideous time for them. Really hideous.

"They've both got young children, and I know they've got supportive husbands, but they've both got young children, and I think it's been very, very difficult."

This is not the first time that King Charles has put on a public display of affection for the girls as rumours swelled about the scandal involving their father and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

In June, King Charles was seen planting a kiss on Eugenie's hand after greeting her at Royal Ascot.

Both Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice were also photographed amongst the royal throng, which included the King and Queen, as they arrived at the Easter Sunday church service at St George's Chapel in Windsor this year.

Robert Hardman recently told the Daily Mail that their uncle, King Charles, and cousin, Prince William, want to protect the princesses from the most recent fallout.

"All along, The King and other members of the family have been concerned that the sins of the family do not befall them," he said.

"They are blameless, they have led a pretty upright life and are level-headed and very nice young women."

While both Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson will now be little more than commoners, both Beatrice and Eugenie will retain their titles of Princess of York, and are believed to have distanced themselves from their controversial parents in recent weeks.

Nor do senior members of the royal family seem to want to punish the sisters for their parents' moves.

While neither are 'working royals' they do attend royal events, such as Christmas and Easter, Royal Ascot, and even garden parties, and are patrons of a number of charities.

In April, they visited the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at University College Hospital.

Prior to her outing with The King's Foundation, Eugenie attended the Frieze Art Fair 2025 VIP preview in Regents Park, London, on October 15.

That outing came just two days before it was announced that Andrew was relinquishing his titles, including Duke of York.

At the time, he was expected to keep his title of 'prince', but that changed two weeks later following new allegations about his ties with Epstein and allegations contained in author Andrew Lownie's book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, and more recently, Giuffre's posthumous memoir, Nobody's Girl.

Andrew has always strenuously denied the allegations made against him.

Buckingham Palace announced on October 31 that King Charles had initiated a formal process to remove the "style, titles and honours of Prince Andrew" following continued allegations surrounding his involvement with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and alleged sexual assault victim Virginia Giuffre.

In the same statement, it was announced that Andrew had been served formal notice to surrender the lease on his home of more than 20 years, Royal Lodge, and move to alternative private accommodation, thought to be on the King's private Sandringham estate.

Andrew has always strenuously denied the allegations made against him.

Now, time will tell if the royal family will continue to protect the York sisters from the fallout that continues to taint their family name.

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