Kate and Beatrice’s ‘awkward’ day at Royal Ascot: Palace ban on York sisters follows ‘tense moment’ between the two Princesses during carriage ride

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been told they cannot join the Royal Family at Royal Ascot this year following the arrest of their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

And whilst it’s usually a joyful occasion for The Firm, the event has already been marked with ‘awkwardness’ for one of the former Duke of York’s daughters before.

Kate, 44, and Beatrice, 37, travelled in the same horse and carriage at Royal Ascot in June 2023, accompanied by their respective husbands, Prince William and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

However, while the pair wore smiles as they waved confidently to the racing crowd, video footage captured of their carriage ride suggested a ‘mutual tension’ between the duo during the joint outing, according to body language expert Judi James.

Ms James told the Daily Mail: ‘They sit locked in poses of mutual tension here, with both pairs of hands clasped tightly in their laps, and their torsos hunched forward in a mirrored self-diminishing ritual that hints at low levels of inner confidence.’

She added that there was ‘no exchange of glances and the two women appear to ignore each other in the moment’.   

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been told they cannot join the Royal Family at Royal Ascot this year amid concerns about the unfolding scandal involving the House of York and their ties with Jeffrey Epstein, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Amid concerns about the unfolding scandal involving the House of York and their ties with Jeffrey Epstein, sources told The Mail on Sunday that Beatrice and Eugenie will not take their seats in the Royal Box at the prestigious horse-racing event in June, nor can they join senior royals for the Royal Procession.

During 2023’s carriage ride, where Beatrice took her place opposite Kate, the royals showed ‘signals of undercurrent tension’, according to Ms James.

As the two royal women exited the carriage, the body language expert noted a rather ‘telling’ interaction between the pair that further highlighted an ‘inherent tension’. 

After thanking all of the coachmen for transporting her to the racecourse, Kate appeared to ‘suddenly swing back to look at Beatrice in a gesture that suggests an afterthought’.

Yet Beatrice made no attempt to smile or even acknowledge Kate in this moment. Instead, according to Ms James, she ‘looks down and strides out as though keen to walk ahead of Kate’.

At this stage, Kate is then captured making some brief, light-hearted conversation with Beatrice in a desperate bid ‘to suggest some form of friendliness’.

However, Beatrice’s seeming disinterest towards the Princess of Wales is described by Ms James as a ‘body language miss-step’.

She explained: ‘This suggests that either Beatrice had the expectation of being left alone or that that would have been what she preferred. 

‘She does look up as Kate speaks to her but her stride still appears strong as though her intent is to go on ahead.’

Princesses Kate and Beatrice ahead of racing on the fourth day of Royal Ascot in June 2023

Likely acutely aware of the significance of the Ascot outing and indeed that the eyes of the world would be upon her, Kate would certainly have been keen to get this appearance right.

And so, ever-the-professional, the Princess was seen undertaking a ‘subtle’ yet ‘powerful’ gesture of kindness towards the end of her interaction with Beatrice, showcasing her competence in royal etiquette and protocol.

‘Instead of walking off to keep up with Beatrice, she stops walking but continues to talk to her,’ Ms James explained. 

Indeed, Ms James suggested that this may have been a smart and strategic social trick she learnt from her late grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, with an emphasis on a traditional ‘stiff upper lip’ and no-nonsense approach.

‘This technique holds Beatrice back and whatever Kate says to her seems to be designed to prompt a smile, which it does.’ 

Meanwhile, the move to apparently ban Beatrice and Eugenie, 35, from Ascot this year is said to have ‘completely blindsided’ the sisters, who are already reeling from the arrest of their father.

But the MoS understands that the move is part of a wider decision to exclude the Princesses from all public-facing events for the foreseeable future.

It follows high-level Palace meetings about the role the pair should play given that serious questions remain about the extent of their relationship with the paedophile financier, including financial links.

The news comes amid reports of a gulf between the sisters and the Prince and Princess of Wales, who are said to be particularly keen to keep them at ‘arm’s length’ until details of any links are clearer.

A well-placed source told the MoS: ‘I’ve spoken to my friend who works at Ascot and they said the girls have been told they can’t be there this year. Beatrice has taken it the hardest. She’s been completely blindsided by all of this.’

As the two royal women exited the carriage, Ms James noted a rather ‘telling’ interaction between the pair that further highlighted an ‘inherent tension’

Prince William is also said to have advised other Royals not to appear in photographs alongside the pair ‘for the rest of the year’. 

The move indicates that the Palace accepts that any suggestion Beatrice and Eugenie advanced their own interests by turning a blind eye to the source of the Yorks’ fortune poses a serious risk to the wider family.

Another source added: ‘Ascot would be out of the question because the royals have been told they can’t have pictures with the girls for the rest of the year.’

Being excluded from Royal Ascot will come as a particular blow to the Princesses.

It was a favourite event of the late Queen Elizabeth, and the Procession – which sees senior royals brought into the Royal Enclosure in carriages – has been a ceremonial tradition since 1825. 

However, the source added that it would be impossible for the pair to attend because, traditionally, those who are part of the carriage procession stay at Windsor Castle the night before and have dinner with the family. 

‘That’s another reason why it’s out of the question that the girls will be able to go, unless they are just there as members of the Royal Enclosure,’ they said.

Notably, William and Kate were careful to avoid being photographed walking alongside the Princesses at the royals’ Christmas Day church service at Sandringham. 

But another source said there was still ‘a lot of sympathy for the girls’ among the public, who were not ‘harbouring any bad feelings’.

Concerns about the Princesses’ possible financial ties to Epstein have mounted in recent months. 

They are known to have visited the disgraced billionaire in Florida days after he was released from jail in 2009 for prostituting minors.

The Palace is aware that Andrew and his business friends acted as Beatrice and Eugenie’s financial advisers and ‘no one is quite sure what might not be entirely above board’, a source has said.

The Charity Commission has also confirmed it is ‘assessing concerns’ about Eugenie’s charity, The Anti-Slavery Collective.

Figures reveal an income last year of £92,311, including more than £48,000 in donations, but total expenditure of £301,024. The most significant sum was spent on salaries, according to The Times.

A Charity Commission spokesman said: ‘We are assessing concerns raised in the media about charitable spending at The Anti-Slavery Collective to determine what role there is, if any, for the Commission.’

Royal commentators have also been asking about the provenance of Beatrice’s cash and connections. 

In 2015, we revealed she went on 15 holidays in a year – including to Verbier, St Tropez and Ibiza – despite earning just £19,000 as a junior employee at Sony music.

The Epstein files also revealed Beatrice offered her mother advice on getting back into Epstein’s good graces and encouraged her father to give his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.

Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Royal Ascot all declined to comment.

The MoS contacted Beatrice and Eugenie for comment.