Palace sidelines Andrew’s daughters to avoid distraction as Epstein saga resurfaces

Their reported absence comes one month after their father was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was taken into police custody and later released under investigation on suspicion that he shared sensitive information with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he worked as the UK trade envoy.

To get a better insight into the development, the presenting duo welcomed former Royal Correspondent at the Daily Express, Richard Palmer, onto the show to discuss the repercussions of this decision. He explained: "They don’t have to be there, they haven’t gone every year, but they have been fairly regularly in attendance for the Easter service.

"But I think their presence would be an unwelcome distraction at the moment, that seems to be the view inside the Royal household. The King has left the door open for them to be invited to future family events, so one of the big events coming up will be the garden parties in May, where they’ve often been invited to help host the parties, even though they’re not funded.

"The problem for the palace is every time they appear, they become the story, and the story is about the Epstein scandal, and clearly the palace wants to try to manage that and move on. But it’s very difficult because it’s not going away, it’s going to keep coming back in waves, so any time that Beatrice and Eugenie are around the family, they’re going to be the story."

Dawn argued that this decision for their absence was also supported by Prince William in the lead-up to the festive holiday. The commentator conceded: "From what I understand, [Prince William] is very worried about the image of being seen sometimes with Beatrice and Eugenie. I don’t think he’s as close to Beatrice and Eugenie as Harry is, for example.