Why Beatrice and Eugenie were banned from seeing Princes William and Harry following Princess Diana fallout

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were 'banned from seeing their cousins' while growing up

Beatrice and Eugenie
(Image credit: Getty)

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were 'banned' from seeing cousins William and Harry following a fallout with Princess Diana, a new book claims.


Eugenie and Beatrice were banned from seeing their cousins due to Diana allegedly snubbing her sister in law, Sarah, 'for revealing she had developed verrucae after borrowing Diana’s shoes.'

Tina Brown explained in her book, The Palace Papers, how it was an example where Diana had developed a habit of "cutting out people" in the boys' lives. Tina said this is a pattern that, sadly, continued, "throughout their childhood."

The royal biographer states in her book that despite Princess Diana clearly being devoted to her sons, “there was a destructive side to Diana’s mothering.” Controlling and strange, Tina claimed the late royal's destructive behaviours all came down to her 'rampant' insecurity which meant she, “always needed to be first in her boys’ hearts."

Beatrice and Eugenie

(Image credit: Getty)

But despite the childhood separation, Eugenie is thought to share a close bond with cousin Harry and has even visited him in California, when the pair attended the Super Bowl together last year.

Harry was also spotted sharing a joke with Beatrice and Eugenie at a St Paul’s Cathedral thanksgiving service for the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee in June.

News of Beatrice and Eugenie's banishment comes after Prince Charles, William and Harry's father, was slammed in a new HBO documentary for his odd way of celebrating the birth of Prince Harry.

Referencing his decisions to go and play polo just hours after bringing home his second son, the voiceover scathed: "At the entrance to Kensington Palace, the Prince and Princess and their baby arrive from the hospital at speed, swept in without stopping. Then, less than an hour later, Prince Charles left to play polo - something most new fathers would hardly dare to suggest."

Robyn Morris
Entertainment writer - contributor

Robyn is a freelance celebrity journalist with ten years experience in the industry. While studying for a degree in Media and Cultural Studies at London College of Communication, she did internships at Now and Heat magazines. After graduating, she landed a job at Star magazine, where she worked her way up to features editor. She then worked at Future as Deputy Celebrity Content Director across Woman, Woman’s Own, Woman’s Weekly and Woman & Home magazines.