Princess Eugenie has remained close with Prince Harry who has ‘banded around’ to support her amid Prince Andrew’s sex abuse lawsuit, royal expert claims
- Princess Eugenie, 32, has remained ‘close’ to Prince Harry, royal expert claimed
- Nick Bullen said Queen’s granddaughter relied on her cousin in recent years
- Explained: ‘Everybody has banded together to support Eugenie and Beatrice’
- He added: ‘Eugenie has tried to keep lines of communication open for the family’
Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie have ‘remained close’ amid Prince Andrew’s sex abuse lawsuit, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex, 37, and Eugenie, 32, have been friends since childhood despite their six-year age gap and are known to still get on well despite Harry’s removal from royal public life in Britain and his repeated attacks on his wider family.
True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen has now claimed the Queen’s granddaughter has likely been relying on her relationship with her cousin after a difficult few years.
Calling Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice ‘really lovely’, he told Fox Digital: ‘Eugenie and Harry have always been close…I believe everybody, not just Harry, has banded together to support Eugenie and her sister Beatrice over the years.’
He added that the sisters are ‘focusing on their family’, explaining: ‘There’s a lot of love within that family and the two girls are very close to their grandmother the queen.’
And discussing Eugenie’s recent trip to visit Prince Harry in his new home of Los Angeles, he said: ‘It’s a reflection of how the family is trying to keep the lines of communication open with Harry and Meghan.’
Earlier this year, the Duke of York, 62, agreed to settle Ms Roberts’s lawsuit accusing him of sex abuse after they met allegedly through late paedophile Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
In the settlement, there was no admission of liability by Andrew, who has always denied the specific allegations and a statement said he would make a ‘substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights’.
The Duke of York, 62, agreed to settle Ms Roberts’s lawsuit accusing him of sex abuse after they met allegedly through late paedophile Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (pictured, Prince Andrew with Eugenie and Beatrice)
While the sum of the settlement has not been disclosed, reports suggest it could cost up to £12 million – with the Queen said to help fund the settlement.
The move is understood to be a bid to draw a line under the scandal before her much-anticipated Jubilee celebrations latter this year, which he will apparently be banned from attending.
When the settlement was announced, Eugenie was actually visiting Prince Harry in the US – the first member of the Royal Family to visit Harry publicly since what became known as ‘Megxit’ when the couple moved to North America.
The mother-of-one sat alongside Prince Harry in the premium seats at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to watch the Superbowl last month.
Harry has been back to the UK twice – and visited Eugenie at her Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor last April when he flew home for Philip’s funeral. He had previously lived there with Meghan following their marriage at the castle.
The Duke also quarantined with Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank last summer when returning to unveil the statue of his late mother Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London with his brother Prince William in July.
Childhood bond: Prince Harry (left) and Prince William with Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice on a family holiday to Klosters, Switzerland, in 1995
The Duke and Princess Eugenie grew up playing together in royal parks and frolicking on the slopes on family ski holidays. Although their older siblings Prince William and Princess Beatrice were there too, it was always clear the relationship between Harry and Eugenie was special.
Their connection is rooted not only in their shared experience as young royals and younger siblings finding their own path in life, but also as children of parents whose dirty laundry was aired in the press.
From an early age, Eugenie had to deal with the embarrassing headlines of both her father and mother,’ explained Nigel Crawthorne, author of Prince Andrew. ‘Harry had to deal with his share of headlines, too, and this bond between them was a great consolation for them.’
Over the years, Eugenie has been Harry’s close friend, confidante, and even matchmaker.
Now she is seen as one of his closest allies within the royal family, remaining steadfast in her support of him and Meghan in the wake of their move to California and string of explosive tell-all interviews.
Despite being born five years apart, Harry and Eugenie often spent time together as children thanks to the friendship between their mothers Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, who would pack up the children for joint family holidays.
Growing up together: Prince Harry with Eugenie (centre) and Beatrice (left) at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in May 2019. The pair remain close even though he lives in California
Photos from a 1995 ski trip show William and Harry smiling in the snow with the two young York sisters, and trudging up the slope with the girls trailing determinedly behind. Beatrice and Eugenie were also included in the final Christmas card Princess Diana sent out before her death.
‘Out of all the Queen’s grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie have one of the most natural connections,’ Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in the Sussex biography Finding Freedom. The book also describes them as the ‘closest of friends’.
‘Like Harry, Eugenie is loyal, honest and great fun,’ the book continues. ‘The two had many nights out together in London, sneaking into back entrances of clubs, such as Mahiki, where Jack once was manager, or Tonteria, where in one of the VIP cave areas they downed shots from Mexican skull shaped glasses and a giant frozen margarita (with multiple straws).’
The cousins also bonded over their shared difficulty of carving a role for themselves within the royal family, with Eugenie, who is not a working royal, having to seek out her own career path.
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