Princess Beatrice appeared to exhibit a sense of discomfort and unease towards the Prince and Princess of Wales after the Christmas Day service at Sandringham, according to a body language expert.

The eldest daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson joined the Royal Family for their customary walk and service at St Magdalene Church.

While other royals, such as Zara and Mike Tindall, were seen engaging warmly with William and Kate, Beatrice’s demeanor was described as ‘awkward’ by UK body language analyst Judi James.

This observation follows news that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will not be participating in Royal Ascot this year, amid the growing controversy surrounding the House of York and their connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Beatrice and Eugenie ‘blindsided’ by Royal Ascot snub

Insiders report that the sisters, whose names appear several times in Epstein-related documents, will be absent from the Royal Box during the renowned horse racing event in June and will not partake in the Royal Procession with senior royals.

The decision reportedly took Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, by surprise, as they are already dealing with the recent arrest of their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on charges of misconduct in public office.

But perhaps signs of the York sisters’ growing distance from William and Kate were evident long before news of Ascot. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail about Beatrice’s Christmas Day appearance, James said: ‘There is a type of smile known as a performed or applied rictus that is a wide smile that appears effortful and not prompted by authentic pleasure.

Body language expert spots tension with Waleses

‘Often the wider the smile, the more negative the emotions being masked, which could be why Beatrice’s smile here, as she waits for the Waleses to go first, hints at what could be awkwardness or dislike.

‘She begins in something of a huddle with her sister, where the smiles could suggest some conversation through gritted teeth as they watch William, Kate, and the children take the lead.

‘The sisters seem to decide to shuffle off together to the left, where they stand together beaming their smiles at the group in front in a watchful rather than sociable way.

‘Beatrice’s glance down at Waleses hints at some quiet impatience or discomfort at having to hang around dutifully and compliantly until they move on.

‘There is no sign of any socialising between them here or any intent of catching Kate’s eye to make the smiles more sociably friendly.’

Epstein files cast new shadow over York sisters

The decision follows a claim from royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams that William and Kate ‘won’t’ miss the York sisters if the future king has to ‘take the hard line’ with his cousins.

Their relationship has long been strained, but the latest revelations from the Epstein files could further deteriorate the Prince of Wales’s relationship with his cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

The most recent tranche of documents has raised serious questions about how much the former Duke and Duchess of York’s daughters knew of their parents’ corrupt dealings with the [disgarced] financier.

One email sent by Epstein in 2015 – after he was convicted for soliciting [sexual intercourse] from girls as young as 14 – boasted to a friend that Beatrice ‘liked’ him.

It also emerged that Beatrice helped advise her mother on how to placate Epstein after Fergie called him a [child offender] while apologising for accepting a £15,000 ($20k) bailout from the convicted [sexual intercourse] offender in a 2011 interview.

William faces difficult decision over York sisters’ future

She also played a key role in facilitating her father’s 2019 Newsnight interview, and Beatrice and Eugenie must now face the possibility that the drip-feed of Epstein revelations could see them ousted from royal life as well.

William now must evaluate his relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie, and assess whether they have a future within The Firm – a decision no doubt fuelled by the pre-existing tension in his relationship with the York sisters.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: ‘It may fall to William to make a decision on the future of Beatrice and Eugenie. Neither are reportedly particularly close to him or to Catherine.

‘The fact that Beatrice, when 20 and Eugenie, aged 19, visited Epstein in Florida just after his release from prison with their rapacious mother, is alarming. They must have known who they were visiting and how inappropriate this was. He was under house arrest.

‘One of the most bizarre aspects of the Files is the way Sarah Ferguson seems to regard Epstein as part of her extended family. In 2010, she even told Epstein of Eugenie’s “s*******” weekend.’

William could take ‘hard line’ with York family

‘There is obvious sympathy for the predicament of the sisters; mention in the files does not denote wrongdoing.

‘The King reportedly regards their work-life balance, where they both do some charitable work alongside their careers and families, but are not working royals, as admirable.

‘William, it is reported, may well take a hard line when he becomes king. It depends on how affected the royal family is by what happens subsequently.

‘There is currently the strong possibility of the cases which the police are assessing going forward and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor being arrested and very possibly put on trial.

‘If this happens, it may be impossible for the Royal Family to move forward with any members of the York family attached to it.

‘William and Catherine do not appear to have close ties with the sisters and would probably not miss them.’

Royal tensions trace back to William’s wedding snub

Rumours of tension between the pair go back as far as 2011, when the future king failed to invite Beatrice’s long-term boyfriend, Dave Clarke, to his wedding.

It was a surprising twist, given that William introduced the former couple to one another at a party hosted by Sean Brosnan, the son of film star Pierce Brosnan.

Fitzwilliams said: ‘It was William who introduced Beatrice to her former boyfriend Dave Clark, whom he had met through mutual friends in Scotland. They dated for a decade.’

In spite of having made the initial introduction, William had cooled his friendship with Dave, seeing him as ‘indiscreet’, to the extent that he didn’t ask him to his wedding in 2011 – a decision that hurt Beatrice very much.

‘Reports indicate that William fell out with him, regarding him as unreliable,’ Fitzwilliams said, adding: ‘Proof of this is his absence from William’s wedding in 2011, which was obviously one of the weddings of the century.’

A source told the Daily Mail in 2016: ‘William isn’t a huge fan of Dave. It’s fair to say that if Beatrice had asked the Queen for permission to marry Dave, and she in turn asked William privately for his view, she may not have been given a glowing report.’

Fitzwilliams continued: ‘Although the Waleses may not be close to the sisters, we know that Eugenie is notably close to Harry.

‘At one time it was thought that she had a role to play in helping reconciliation between the Royal Family and the Sussexes. That is now highly unlikely.’

Over the years, Eugenie has been Harry’s close friend, confidante and even matchmaker.

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 the children up for joint family holidays.

Eugenie was the one who introduced her cousin Harry to his ex-girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, and they dated between 2012 and 2014. Eugenie and the actress have remained close after the breakup.

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