During a particularly hot day at Royal Ascot last June, King Charles was seen warmly greeting Sarah, Duchess of York, and her younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, with elaborate hand kisses. This public display of affection marked a significant moment, as it illustrated the King’s acceptance of Sarah back into the Royal Family’s fold, contrasting sharply with the cold treatment she had received from his late father, Prince Philip. The late Duke of Edinburgh famously refused to be in the same room as Fergie following her 1992 separation from Prince Andrew.

However, this embrace by King Charles is now under scrutiny due to recent revelations from the Epstein Files, which have shed light on Sarah’s long-standing association with the late Jeffrey Epstein. Among the revelations, it emerged that she took her daughters, then 21 and 19, to visit Epstein at his Palm Beach residence shortly after his release from prison for procuring a minor for prostitution.

As a result, it is unlikely that we will see any similar gestures of camaraderie from King Charles towards Sarah at this summer’s Berkshire racecourse. Sarah, having distanced herself from the public eye, has remained out of the spotlight since her former husband was stripped of his ‘Prince’ title, and she agreed to no longer use the duchess title.

Additionally, the unfolding scandal has had repercussions for her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. According to reports from The Mail on Sunday by journalist Charlotte Griffiths, they have been advised against attending the Royal Ascot alongside the family due to concerns over their connections with Epstein, which have been highlighted in the files.

Insiders revealed that the sisters, whose names appear multiple times in the Epstein Files, will not be seen in the Royal Box at this cornerstone event of the summer social calendar. Moreover, they will not participate in the Royal Procession with senior family members, underscoring the growing caution around their public appearances amid the ongoing controversy.

Sources told the newspaper that the sisters, whose names appear several times in the Epstein Files, would not take their seats in the Royal Box at one of the key events of the summer season, nor could they join senior members of the family for the Royal Procession.

Last year at Royal Ascot, the King greeted Princess Eugenie and Sarah Ferguson with kisses on their hands – but there are unlikely to be such gestures this year, says our columnist

King Charles’s affection towards Sarah Ferguson starkly contrasted with the late Prince Philip’s froideur. But now her inclusion in the Epstein files has brought his judgment into question

The move was said to have ‘completely blindsided’ Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, who are already reeling from the arrest of their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Indeed, the princesses are regulars at Ascot, and they were welcomed to Sandringham at Christmas last year after Buckingham Palace officials had made clear that the King did not want to punish his nieces for the sins of their parents.

But their new exile is said to be part of a wider decision to exclude the princesses from all public-facing events for the foreseeable future.

Now, I hear that the Prince and Princess of Wales will not attend Royal Ascot if there is any chance of their being photographed with any member of the York family who, of course, could still attend the races, just not as part of the royal contingent.

‘I can tell you that William and Catherine won’t go if any of the Yorks are there,’ claims one of their friends.

The couple have long been more wary of the Yorks than the King has. Sarah was, for example, conspicuous by her absence at their wedding in 2011. By contrast, she was invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding seven years later and also attended Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral and King Charles’s Coronation concert at Windsor Castle.

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice may be excluded from all public-facing events in the future, Richard Eden writes, with William and Catherine especially keen to distance themselves

William and Catherine are also less enthusiastic about Royal Ascot than the King and Queen Camilla. Last year, William attended on just one day while his wife did not go at all. Despite still undergoing treatment for cancer, the King attended every day in soaring temperatures.

When Catherine and Beatrice rode in the same carriage during the Royal Procession at Ascot in 2023, the body language appeared to be tense. Catherine was joined by William and Bea by her husband, the property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. There appeared to be no exchange of glances, and indeed the women seemed to ignore each other.

If William and Catherine’s friend is correct, this year will see the couple move even further away from the beleaguered sisters.

A Kensington Palace spokesman declines to comment. A royal source insists: ‘Conversations around Ascot aren’t on our radar.’