Princess Eugenie has stepped back from her role as patron of the charity Anti-Slavery International.
The UK organisation has confirmed that her patronage has ended, with the news coming as another blow to the 35-year-old in the wake of her father, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s arrest over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Princess Eugenie has held the patronage of the UK charity for over seven years.
Anti-Slavery International removed Princess Eugenie’s profile from their website, which previously mentioned her work “across the board with leaders in the fight against modern slavery”, before addressing her exit in a statement:
“After seven years, our patronage from HRH Princess Eugenie of York has come to an end. We thank the Princess very much for her support for Anti-Slavery International. We hope that she continues to work to end slavery for good and deliver freedom for everyone.”
The move is particularly poignant given that tackling exploitation and human trafficking has long been one of Eugenie’s most deeply held personal causes.
Eugenie co-founded her own, separate initiative in this space — the Anti-Slavery Collective, which she set up with a close friend in 2017, with a focus on tackling forced labour in business supply chains.
Eugenie’s charity exit comes as another blow to the princess, as fallout from her father’s links to Jeffrey Epstein has reportedly put pressure on her marriage to Jack Brooksbank.
Sources close to both York sisters have said that both Eugenie’s and her older sister, Princess Beatrice’s, marriages have been “under enormous strain” in recent weeks.
In February, newly-released emails revealed the sisters had been swept up into convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s world by way of their parents, Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“There’s nothing good about any of this, and yes, it’s affecting everyone in their immediate circles,” said the source, before emphasising “especially” Jack and Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Andrew was arrested and subsequently released last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
His arrest came just days after new documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein were released by the US government, which allegedly showed that Andrew had shared confidential information with the disgraced financier.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Eugenie, her sister Princess Beatrice or their mother Sarah Ferguson in connection with Epstein.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Never miss a story! Sign up to New Idea’s FREE newsletter for royal news and exclusives here.
