Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were never going to be ‘working royals’ and I don’t think Fergie is the reason

They’re young, they’re royal and their granny was Queen Elizabeth II and, for many, that’s led to an almost eternal debate about when, rather than if, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will join the ranks of ‘working royals’.

Now, as their mother faces yet more controversy, this time over an email she sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, it’s being concluded that the princesses won’t ever take that role on. But, let’s be real, it’s never really been on the cards for either, has it?

Even before Fergie’s latest mess (and that’s a polite word for calling a convicted sex offender a ”supreme friend”), the chances of either Beatrice or Eugenie being brought into the stable of royals available for engagements were small. And it’s not because their parents are among the biggest royal embarrassments of the past century.

It’s long been known that King Charles wanted to slim down the Monarchy. For those who have only been watching the Windsors for the past few years, when the number of working royals is manageable and the activities of those who once haunted the Palace corridors are very noticeable, that might seem short sighted.

However, that’s forgetting that The King was raised in a royal world where representation was thin on the ground and his mother roped in plenty of cousins until the balcony at Buck House at Trooping was heaving to the point of creaking. And the thing is that ‘working royal’ is usually a job for life. Once your name is in the royal diary, it stays there. And that is what King Charles was looking to avoid.

Charles III was once the longest serving heir in history and he had plenty of time to consider what he thought was best for the Crown he would one day inherit. He wanted a lean, mean fighting machine of a Royal Family and that meant reining in the numbers of those sent out to represent the person reigning.

The spotlight had to remain on the core of the Monarchy. And while a 20 something princess might be the granddaughter or niece of a Monarch, forward 56 years and she might well be the second cousin once removed and really, do we have time to explain that family tree?

Beatrice and Eugenie were always going to be affected by that. On the day of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London, back in 2012, Elizabeth II appeared with Charles, Camilla, William, Kate and Harry. It was seen as her endorsement of the policy Charles was known to favour and a sign of the Royal Family to come.

Meanwhile, it’s been reported that Prince William wants even more change with his Royal Family of the future focusing on big issues ahead of packing out a regal diary rammed to the corners with engagements. It’s said to have drawn some comments from his aunt, Princess Anne, who has made the full day of duties her calling card over the years.

So in a world where the Royal Family is run by a man who wants fewer royals front and centre and who will be succeeded by a man who wants to make issues that affect everyone the heart of regal activities, there were no job openings for princesses. And if one of those men is prepared to potentially annoy Princess Anne in the process then you know they mean business.

And that’s before we get to the question of whether Beatrice or Eugenie even want to do it. Both have been able to build lives that suit them and there’s no indication that either is pining for a raft of royal engagements to find fulfilment.

In the past weeks, we have all looked back on times when royals seemed to be in different parts of the country every day. The death of the Duchess of Kent brought many reminders of those days in the 1960s, 70s and 80s when a Windsor would be out and about almost as soon as the sun was up. But that was all a long time ago and I’ve always felt that those who demand to know when Beatrice, Eugenie or their cousins, Louise, will be made a working royal are living in a past that is long gone.

For the future of the House of Windsor has been clear for many years. It’s focused, centralised and involves a core set of people. If there was a gap left by the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex then the short term solution was to ramp up the role of already working royals. Edward and Sophie have stepped up and we should all be glad they have, they are really very good at all of it and a total boon to the Windsors.

I suspect that the chances of Beatrice and Eugenie becoming ”working royals” has never been more than wafer thin. Yes, Fergie’s email is damaging and the behaviour of their father, Prince Andrew, remains nothing short of disastrous.

But I think that the possibility of any royal role for the princesses of the House of York was long dismissed before that. I don’t think King Charles will ask them to stay away from a royal Christmas but with their parents certain to celebrate the season elsewhere this year, they may well feel it’s time to give Sandringham a rest.

However, I do think that they were never really destined for a public royal role – and Fergie’s latest is not the reason.