Princess Beatrice was all smiles at a recent New York charity event alongside the Swedish royals, however her appearance has set off alarm bells for long-time friends.
After what has been a tough start to the year, the 34-year-old was barely recognisable in pictures posted online with Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia at a function for dyslexia awareness.
WATCH: Princess Beatrice opens up about her experience with dyslexia
“Bea really looks a shadow of her former self,” says one insider. “It’s sad, but no surprise to a lot of her mates. They’ve been worried about her ever since her dad [Prince Andrew] went from hero to zero. The joys of welcoming [daughter] Sienna has been completely overshadowed by the most hellish of family dramas.”
Typically, Bea would turn to her sister Princess Eugenie when times get tough. Yet their normally rock-solid relationship is said to be at an all-time low, with the siblings divided over their loyalties to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Beatrice tried warning Eugenie about her alliance with Prince Harry and Meghan,” adds the insider, who claims that there have been “tense” phone conversations between the two.
With the York girls not getting approval to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during their uncle King Charles’ May 6 coronation, Beatrice fears she was left off the list because she comes as a package deal with Eugenie, 33. Our insider believes she doesn’t want to lose standing with the King, or alienate William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“Bea and Eugenie have argued about it and now Bea feels like she’s lost her best friend,” says the source.
If that wasn’t enough to deal with, Beatrice is also getting dragged back into her father’s shocking association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this year production began on the Netflix film Scoop, which dramatises Andrew’s disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview. Bea worked behind the scenes on the much-maligned chat, and will appear as a character in Scoop.
“Of all the time to not have her sister’s advice, this is not it,” says the source.
With so much weighing on her mind, friends say Bea and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, will put their plans for a longed-for second child on hold.
WATCH: Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s love story
“It’s not the right time,” adds the insider. “She feels like she’s juggling so many plates at once and the pressure is getting to her.”
“Beatrice has always been the worrying kind, but she’s running herself ragged fretting about the family’s problems. She’s really missing her granny right now. They were always so close, and the Queen always knew the right thing to do.”
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