Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson have faced their fair share of criticism over the years, yet their parenting of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie has consistently been praised.

Despite the often bitter nature of divorce, especially in royal circles, the dissolution of the marriage between the Duke and Duchess of York was notably harmonious. Sarah Ferguson, affectionately known as Fergie, consistently lauded her former husband, even though she accepted a smaller financial settlement than she might have received from a contested divorce.

Remarkably, the former couple continued to reside together at Royal Lodge, their sprawling 30-room estate in Windsor. They frequently vacationed as a family, creating a stable environment that spared their daughters the emotional turmoil typically associated with parental separation.

Therefore, it was surprising when reports emerged suggesting that Princess Eugenie had severed ties with her father amid the Jeffrey Epstein controversy.

Charlotte Griffiths, Editor-at-Large for The Mail on Sunday, revealed that the 35-year-old princess had ceased communication with Andrew and skipped Christmas with him. This decision followed a series of damaging disclosures regarding Andrew’s association with the now-deceased sex offender Epstein.

Eugenie, who co-founded The Anti-Slavery Collective to combat human trafficking, reportedly disapproved of her father’s lack of apology to Epstein’s victims, reflecting her commitment to the cause.

Princess Eugenie of York, 35, has cut off all contact with her father in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal

Even after Andrew and Fergie divorced in 1996, the couple continued to live together at Royal Lodge – their 30-room mansion in Windsor – and often went on holiday as a family

A source told The Mail on Sunday that the rift was like that between David and Victoria Beckham and their eldest son: ‘There is no contact at all, nothing. It’s Brooklyn Beckham level – she has completely cut him off.’

I have spent this week talking to friends of Eugenie and Beatrice – and they tell me, however, that all is not quite as it seems.

Here is what I’ve learned: It’s true that the princesses are avoiding being seen with Andrew and Fergie, who ducked down in the car she was travelling in to avoid being pictured attending the christening of Bea’s daughter Athena at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace last month.

However, one friend insisted that Eugenie will not be permanently estranged from her father.

‘Andrew’s main concern is that his daughters are not tainted by his difficulties, so he is keeping his distance from them,’ the friend says. ‘Bea and Eug feel very sorry for their parents. They are keeping in touch with them and making sure they’re OK. Both Andrew and Sarah want their daughters to remain part of the Royal Family and were happy for them to spend Christmas in Norfolk.’

Indeed, the plan to save the House of York is one with which King Charles is co-operating with his brother.

Princess Beatrice, left, is pictured with her sister Eugenie. ‘Bea and Eug feel very sorry for their parents. They are keeping in touch with them and making sure they’re OK’

One friend insisted that Eugenie will not be permanently estranged from her father (pictured)

‘Andrew’s main concern is that his daughters are not tainted by his difficulties, so he is keeping his distance from them,’ one friend says (Andrew and his daughters pictured in 2016)

Eugenie (centre), Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi attended the christening of Bea’s daughter Athena at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace last month

While the King stripped Andrew and Fergie of their titles last October over their links to the sex-offending American financier, he made a point of keeping their daughters in the royal fold.

They remain Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, so the House of York continues through them. Both women retain their places in the line of succession to the throne – ninth in Beatrice’s case and 12th in Eugenie’s. Bea, 37, also remains one of seven Counsellors of State, legally entitled to stand in for the King if he cannot undertake his official duties due to temporary illness or absence abroad.

As I revealed last November, there was another aspect of this ‘secret deal’ between the King and Andrew: it was agreed that not only would there be no action taken by the King against Beatrice and Eugenie, but they would be allowed to accept new official royal roles.

The first evidence of the deal arrived barely a week after the King announced that he was stripping Andrew of his titles and honours. Outward Bound, one of the charities most closely associated with the Royal Family, announced that Beatrice had been appointed as its new Deputy Patron. The new Royal Patron was her uncle, Prince Edward. Both appointments were approved by the King and, in Beatrice’s case, it was hugely significant.

Outward Bound’s figurehead for 65 years had been Prince Philip, until his second son, Andrew, took over as patron of the group, which uses ‘wild adventure to help young people realise their potential through learning, challenge and discovery in the outdoors’.

Andrew is currently preparing to leave his beloved Royal Lodge, which was meant to be his ‘forever home’. The former prince has, though, ensured that the House of York endures.