William vs. Harry? That's so 2021. There's a new royal rumble brewing.
Here's what you need to know.
Although Prince William is still estranged from his brother Prince Harry, William
continues his preparation to one day be king. In fact, he and Prince Charles
have reportedly started making plans for the future of the British royal family,
which may include slimming down the monarchy to just a handful of senior members.
According to initial reports, this supposedly includes Charles,
Prince of Wales; his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; William, the Duke of Cambridge;
and his wife Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. An insider told Us Weekly,
"The way William and Charles see it, less people means less drama."
Sources have said the slightly reduced monarchy would also include Prince Edward,
Earl of Wessex, and his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, along with Princess Anne.
One person not included? Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his military titles and patronages
after being sued by Virginia Giuffre over accusations that Andrew sexually assaulted her
when she was 17 years old. While Andrew reached an out of court settlement with Giuffre, he remains
on the outs with both his brother Charles and nephew William. A source told the Daily Mail,
"William is becoming more and more involved in decisions about the institution
and he's not a huge fan of his uncle Andrew."
"You were staying at the house of a convicted sex offender."
"It was a convenient place to stay."
Apparently, William's feelings toward the disgraced prince are
causing friction between William and two of his cousins, Eugenie and Beatrice,
creating an entirely new feud within the royal family. Neil Sean, a royal expert,
told Express that the decision by William, the Queen, and Prince Charles to remove their
father Prince Andrew from royal duties is the cause of it. He told the outlet,
"According to very good sources, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice are
seemingly struggling to remain cordial with Prince William, Catherine, and Charles."
With their father out of the picture,
Sean said that the princesses fear they won't even have minor roles in the royal family
once Charles ascends to the throne. While the sisters were reportedly angling for royal titles,
Charles has supposedly dashed any hopes of that happening. Sean told Express,
"The Prince of Wales has made his plans for the future very clear, which is a slimmed-down royal
family. Expanding it to include the York daughters to help the royal cause is unlikely to happen."
Another factor in the rift could be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's plan to move to
the historic Adelaide Cottage this summer to be closer to Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.
Sources claimed that Eugenie also had her eyes set on the home before her father's scandal,
but that William and Kate's wishes will come first, according to the Daily Mail.
Beatrice and Eugenie's friendship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might also
play a role in the rift, according to Sean. Prince Harry is especially close with Eugenie,
who has also bonded with Harry's wife.
Meghan Markle revealed during the couple's infamous Oprah Winfrey interview that she
and Princess Eugenie were acquainted before her relationship with the prince.
Eugenie and Harry even attended the 2022 Super Bowl together in California, and the princess
and her husband were seen happily dining out with both Harry and Meghan in Los Angeles a few weeks
later. A royal expert told Us Weekly that Eugenie might also have been the one to convince Queen
Elizabeth to meet with Harry and Meghan ahead of the couple's journey to the Invictus Games.
While Beatrice and Eugenie reportedly aren't happy
with their father being stripped of his royal titles and duties,
the sisters have also found themselves caught up in another of Prince Andrew's scandals.
A Turkish millionaire has alleged that a former Goldman Sachs banker stole £40 million and sent
payments of more than £1 million to Prince Andrew. He also received a large amount that was described
as a wedding gift for Princess Beatrice. In addition, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson allegedly
received £225,000 and Eugenie was supposedly sent £25,000, according to the Telegraph.
Beatrice and Eugenie are not believed to have known about the fraud,
and Eugenie released a statement to People claiming that she believed the money she
received was a gift to help pay for her mother's surprise 60th birthday party.
After receiving the funds in her bank account, the princess said she then transferred the
money to the company planning the event, and is currently consulting with her lawyers,
according to the statement. It's like Eugenie said in a rare public appearance back in 2018 …
"As young working women in the public eye, we've had to learn some lessons the hard way."
This latest scandal certainly won't help Andrew's strained
relationship with Prince Charles and Prince William — and that doesn't
bode well for Eugenie and Beatrice's future positions in the royal family.
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