Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie might not have been the royal grandchildren most frequently pictured with the Queen – but the sisters were still incredibly close with their ‘Grannie’.
The girls’ deep bond with their grandmother was apparent today as they looked incredibly emotional while reading tributes to the late Monarch at Balmoral.
The daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were accompanied by their father, their aunt the Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their cousins Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall and Lady Louise Windsor, as they looked at the flowers and messages well-wishers left outside the gates of the Balmoral estate this afternoon.
The daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were accompanied by their father, their aunt the Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their cousins Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall and Lady Louise Windsor, as they looked at the flowers and messages well-wishers left outside the gates of the Balmoral estate this afternoon
Princess Eugenie, 32, was seen wiping off tears as she read the kind tributes left for the Queen outside of Balmoral
The two princesses, who enjoyed a privileged relationship with the Queen, were visibly distraught, and were comforted by their father Prince Andrew
The two sisters were close to their grandmother, who was a constant in their lives into her later years (pictured together with the Queen and Queen Mother in 1990)
Beatrice, 34, and Eugenie, 32, looked distraught as they walked hand-in-hand scanning the thousands of flowers and messages of condolence that had been left by royal fans.
At one point their father, Prince Andrew, was pictured putting his arm around Eugenie while she held Beatrice’s hand and the trio stood among the tributes with bowed heads.
The Queen, who died on Thursday in Balmoral, aged 96, leaves behind eight grandchildren and ten grandchildren.
Beatrice and Eugenie were seen quietly walking down the gates of Balmoral, showing each other support by holding hands.
Both looked very solemn and were wearing black to signify mourning, as were the other members of the royal family present.
Beatrice and Eugenie were seen quietly walking down the gates of Balmoral, showing each other support hand-in-hand
The two sisters locked hands as they took a closer look at the many flowers and kind words left for the Queen
Prince Andrew put a protective hand on Princess Eugenie, who was very emotional in Balmoral this afternoon
Both sisters were deeply touched by the public’s outpouring of love for their grandmother, and were seen smiling sorrowfully as they read some of the messages left for the late Monarch
Princess Beatrice was seen wiping from her eyes as she read the tributes left for the Queen at the Aberdeenshire estate.
Both sisters appeared deeply touched by the public’s outpouring of love for their grandmother, and were seen smiling sorrowfully as they read some of the messages left for the late Monarch.
Aged 33, Beatrice shared a sweet bond with the late Monarch, who was present at her wedding to Italian property developer Edo Mapelli Mozzi on July 17 2020 at Royal Lodge.
The Queen not only attended Beatrice’s nuptials at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, she also generously lent her own tiara and vintage dress to the bride, because she felt her granddaughter was already missing out on having a traditional wedding celebration due to the pandemic.
Beatrice’s hastily-arranged ceremony was attended only by close friends and family following the cancellation of a larger wedding in May due to lockdown.
The Princess was adamant her beloved grandparents should have the opportunity to see her exchange her vows with Edo, 37 – Government guidelines permitting – so chose the Chapel of All Saints on the Windsor estate, where the Queen, 94, often attended services.
Princess Beatrice looked sombre as she stepped out earlier this afternoon to attend a service at Crathie Kir
The two princesses were photographed as they took the car to the religious service. It was the first time they were seen since the death of the Queen was announced on Thursday
Five of the Queen’s eight grandchildren were present and took a look at the messages and flowers left for her in front of Balmoral
The wedding bridged three Royal generations – with Princess Beatrice becoming a stepmother to Edo’s son Wolfie, four, who acted as both best man and page boy alongside his two young cousins. Beatrice’s sister Eugenie, 30, was maid of honour.
A small party was held afterwards at Royal Lodge, Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York’s Windsor home, with many of the 20 guests staying overnight – some in glamping pods outdoors.
Princess Eugenie also had a close relationship with her grandmother.
She threw support behind the Queen and praised her video message at last year’s United Nations Conference for being a ‘brilliant beginning’.
The mother-of-one, 32, took to Instagram and posted a clapping hands emoji alongside a video of Her Majesty’s impassioned speech to representatives at the COP26 summit at the time, where she urged world leaders to ‘earn a place in history’ and ‘answer the call of those future generations.’
In another slide shared to her stories, Eugenie highlighted in green a quote from the Monarch’s speech which was posted on Clarence House’s social media page.
It read: ‘In a video message, Her Majesty The Queen said: “It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them”.’
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