IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE BEATRICE AND EUGENIE HOW THE PRINCESSES ARE STEPPING UP TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY FIRM

Stepping out to support the Prince of Wales, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were joined by cousins Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall – with her husband Mike – for a soggy Buckingham Palace garden party.

- EMILY NASH

Despite the downpour, the royal sisters spent a happy few hours chatting to many of the 8,000 invited guests over tea and sandwiches at the King’s official London residence.

Hello! understands the younger royals were drafted in to help out because of the “unique circumstances” Prince William is facing as his wife the Princess continues to focus on her recovery from cancer.

It wasn’t a first for the cousins, who have been regulars at garden parties over the years. Beatrice, 35, and 34-year-old Eugenie also occasionally accompanied Elizabeth II to royal engagements such as the annual Maundy Service. However, they have been a lot more prominent in the public eye over the past few weeks.

FAMILY TIES

A royal insider tells Hello!: “They are closer than lots of cousins might be – they have that unique shared experience and unusual life they all lead.

“This is an institution that they all belong to, perhaps in slightly different ways in terms of how they serve it, but they all believe in it and its future and want to do what they can to support it.”

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in 2020 that they wanted to start a new life outside the monarchy, Elizabeth II made it clear they could not be half in, half out. Consequently, it is unlikely Beatrice and Eugenie could take on official duties without a review of that stance.