The Royal Family is reportedly having a tough time determining the right approach for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's daughters amid a plethora of scandals engulfing their parents.
Princess Beatrice's and Princess Eugenie's futures remain unknown following the mid-February arrest of the former prince, who was released 11 hours after the arrest under investigation.
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and honours in October by King Charles amid his links with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
While the princesses are not active members of the royal family, Buckingham Palace has made it clear they retain their titles.
Shedding light on the current relation between the British monarchy and Beatrice and Eugenie, a royal expert, Richard Fitzwilliams, said, "They want to avoid any association with them, as the York brand has become toxic."
New emails released in January showed Andrew remained in contact with the disgraced financier long after he was convicted for trafficking and sex with a minor.
The documents also revealed the ties between Epstein and Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with the princesses' names appearing in several emails.
In one of the documents, Epstein writes that "Ferg and the two girls" came to visit him, less than a week after he was freed from prison in 2009, following a conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Amid these revelations, "hard questions will need to be asked," said royal expert Ed Owens.
"If it is shown that they have benefited from an elite network, that was partially introduced to them by Jeffrey Epstein...this is problematic," he added.
Andrew biographer Andrew Lownie claimed that the sisters are "deeply implicated" rather than "collateral damage" in the whole affair.
"This was a family business. The girls were taken on these taxpayer-funded trips. They've built up a very useful contact book which they are exploiting to this day," he said.
The royal experts expressed their hope for the royal family to keep a distance from the princesses.
Fitzwilliams added, "We don't know what might come up next. There might be new scandals."
Echoing the expert's stance, Lownie noted, "There are scandals still in their cupboard" that could see the light of day anytime.
