According to royal expert Phil Dampier, the royals always make a habit of coordinating announcements about weddings or babies in order not to steal each other’s thunder.
Because a pregnancy is time-sensitive, Princess Eugenie’s baby news would take precedence over Princess Beatrice’s engagement announcement.
“If Eugenie is pregnant it wouldn’t surprise me if Beatrice delays any announcement about her wedding until after her sister has shared her joyous news with the world,” Phil explained.
This is allegedly not the first time the situation has occurred. Although the palace never confirmed it, a similar scenario reportedly happened when the Queen was pregnant with Prince Andrew, causing her sister Princess Margaret to delay the announcement of her engagement to Antony Armstrong-Jones.
Sources tell New Idea that Beatrice is extremely unhappy with having to maintain secrecy around her engagement – and it’s reportedly caused a divide between the once-close sisters.
“Beatrice is furious at Eugenie and tension is at an all-time high between the sisters, we’ve never seen them fight so badly,” the source tells New Idea.
“But Bea just can’t let it go, she’s ropeable that she’s had to plan her wedding around Eugenie’s pregnancy announcement, as though that’s more important.”
According to the insider, Beatrice feels she’s always played second fiddle to her sister and that Eugenie’s needs are always put first.
“This is supposed to be Bea’s big day – the fairytale wedding she’s been dreaming of since she was a little girl – and now it’s been pushed aside because of Eugenie’s baby. It’s just not fair.
“And while Bea usually bites her tongue and plays along, she’s not doing that this time. She’s told Eugenie just how unhappy she is and is not taking this lying down. It’s caused quite the stir in the palace.”
Rumours of a pending engagement between Beatrice and Edoardo have been doing the rounds for some time. The princess and the businessman have known each other for years but reportedly only started dating at the end of 2018.
“Beatrice and Edo have the same circle of friends and were introduced through a mutual chum. They hit it off instantly and have a real laugh together,” a source told The Sun.
“They’ve been on holiday together and Beatrice introduced him to Fergie and her dad.
“Things are moving very quickly and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they got engaged within a short period of time,”
the source said.
Meanwhile, Eugenie’s baby announcement seems a foregone conclusion with bookmakers seeing an influx of bets.
“The odds of Eugenie and Jack sharing some good news have taken another plunge. The latest betting suggests an announcement may be around the corner,” said a spokesperson from Bookmakers.tv.
“And as always, royal watchers would love to see another royal baby, with some punters even suggesting the Queen may have three new grandchildren during 2020, as odds plummet to 5-1.”
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