Princess Eugenie Steps Down from Anti-Slavery Charity Amid Father’s Scandal
Princess Eugenie has concluded her seven-year tenure as a patron for the esteemed charity Anti-Slavery International. The confirmation came via a statement released by the organisation, marking a significant shift for the royal. This development occurs in the shadow of her father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s, recent legal troubles and the resurfacing of his close ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Anti-Slavery International acknowledged the end of their patronage with HRH Princess Eugenie of York in their official statement. “We thank the Princess very much for her support for Anti-Slavery International,” the charity stated. “We hope that she continues to work to end slavery for good and deliver freedom for everyone.” The charity has since removed Princess Eugenie’s profile from its official website, a move reported by The Observer.
Despite this departure, Princess Eugenie remains actively involved in the fight against modern slavery. Her Instagram biography currently highlights her role as the co-founder of The Anti-Slavery Collective, a human rights organisation dedicated to combating modern slavery and trafficking. The Collective itself has not yet issued a public statement regarding these recent events.
The past few months have seen both Princess Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice, maintain a significantly lower public profile. This quiet approach comes as their father, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has been stripped of his royal title and relocated from the Royal Lodge. The ongoing scandal surrounding Andrew’s alleged misconduct has cast a long shadow over the day-to-day operations of the royal family.
King Charles has publicly expressed his “profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light” regarding Andrew’s “conduct.” Similarly, the Prince and Princess of Wales have stated they are “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations,” though they have refrained from naming Andrew or Epstein directly.
The recent release of Epstein’s files has seemingly accelerated Andrew’s departure from Royal Lodge. These documents have brought renewed attention to the former Duke and Duchess of York, with both sisters being mentioned at various points within the newly released information.
One particularly striking detail to emerge from the Epstein files is the revelation that Epstein provided plane tickets for Sarah Ferguson and her daughters, enabling them to visit him in the United States shortly after his release from prison in 2009. At the time, Epstein was serving a 12-month sentence for soliciting a child for prostitution and would have been under house arrest. Princess Beatrice was 20 years old, and Princess Eugenie was 19 at the time of these alleged travel arrangements.
Further communications within the files suggest a lunch meeting occurred between Ferguson, her daughters, and Epstein. In an email dated July 1, 2010, Epstein indicated his intention to be in London that week and inquired about Ferguson’s daughters, who were then 21 and 20. Another email, sent on March 21, 2010, purportedly from a “Sarah,” mentioned to Epstein that she was “just waiting for Eugenie to come back from a sh–ging weekend!!” The precise context of this particular exchange remains unclear.
The emails also indicate that Andrew sent photographs of his daughters to Epstein in both 2010 and 2011. These images included one of Beatrice climbing Mont Blanc and another of Eugenie participating in a charity bicycle ride. It is important to note that Nine.com.au is not suggesting any wrongdoing on the part of Princess Beatrice or Princess Eugenie in relation to these revelations.
In a separate but related timeline, Princess Eugenie launched a podcast focused on modern slavery in 2022. This initiative came just weeks after her father made a significant donation to a sex trafficking charity as part of an out-of-court settlement with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre. The podcast series had initially been announced in 2019 but was put on hold due to mounting pressure on her father concerning his association with Epstein.
Virginia Giuffre later filed a lawsuit against the former Duke of York, alleging that she was trafficked by Epstein to the UK and subsequently forced into sexual acts with Andrew against her will when she was a minor. Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied all allegations made against him. His settlement with Giuffre did not include any admission of wrongdoing.
