As King Charles prepares for Christmas at Sandringham, Chris Riches asks if Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie should join him or stay loyal to their parents.

Vogue World: London 2023 - Official Party
Beatrice and Eugenie in 2023 (Image: Getty)

If King Charles can’t convince Beatrice and Eugenie to join him at Sandringham and ditch their parents for Christmas, could the princesses end up waist-deep in the Jeffrey Epstein quagmire? In November, I suggested “wouldn’t it be a masterstroke if King Charles had invitations drop on the doormat to Beatrice and Eugenie – welcoming them into his embrace this Christmas?

“After all there’s one Christmas lunch you definitely don’t want an invite to this December 25 and it reads: ‘Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson request the pleasure of your company at Royal Lodge…’.” The mirth surrounding Andrew’s fall from grace is sadly a stark contrast to the horror suffered by Epstein’s victims – or the late, tragic Virginia Guiffre.

And last weekend it was revealed Beatrice and Eugenie do indeed face a ‘tug-of-love’ dilemma after being invited by the King to spend Christmas at Sandringham, alongside other key royals such as the Prince and Princess of Wales.

A source claims Beatrice is split about either going to Sandringham, spending Yuletide with Andrew at Royal Lodge or inviting her mum to join her, her children and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at their new Cotswolds home. Princess Eugenie is also weighing up her options.

Joining the King, William and Catherine would definitely be their best option – publicly sharing the iconic Christmas Day church service with them, well away from their disreputable folks.

But Beatrice and Eugenie are children and will be torn. Despite their parents’ scandals they have always stuck by them. That is to their credit. But it also sucks them into that quagmire.

With reports Andrew has become the number one Christmas cracker joke for 2025 he is widely seen as a laughing stock. According to comedy channel U&GOLD that winning cracker joke asks: “Why is Prince Andrew not writing any Christmas books? He hasn’t got any titles!”

But where they spend Christmas is only one of the princesses’ dilemmas. The next one is, what presents should they buy their mum and dad?

What do you buy parents who once had everything?

Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (Image: Getty)

For a start I’d avoid Pizza Express vouchers for their dad or a gift experience day with a pampering massage. Apparently he doesn’t need deodorant either.

I would suggest paying for him to play a round of golf – but ‘Randy Andy’ has played around enough over the years.

Meanwhile, for their mum maybe a self-help book on how to succeed in business?

They would also prefer no chocolate money in their stockings – and just a big bag of real gold coins instead. That would help shore up their finances.

Lastly if they do join their parents for Christmas dinner I would serve them beef. The ex-Yorks have already become a pair of prize turkeys whose goose looks well and truly cooked.