Princess Eugenie flashed a strained smile as she left a charity dinner in London tonight – hours after her father announced he is stepping back from public duty ‘for the foreseeable future’.
The royal, 29, who is married to Jack Brooksbank, had attended an event held by the Elephant Family, a small, dynamic non-profit organisation on a mission to save Asian elephants from extinction, of which she is patron.
The princess looked casually chic in a black long-sleeve polo neck mini-dress, which she teamed with a burgundy tunic and black knee-high boots.
She wore her hair in loose curls around her shoulders and carried a black leather handbag as she headed home from the dinner.
Princess Eugenie looked chic in a black long-sleeve polo neck mini-dress, which she teamed with a burgundy tunic and black knee-high boots for a charity dinner in London tonight
Eugenie sported a natural make-up look, opting for a pale pink lipstick and a slick of black eyeliner and mascara.
Prince Andrew’s youngest daughter has so far ignored the criticism levelled at her him for his ‘car crash’ BBC interview with Emily Maitlis and has not passed comment on his involvement with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Hours after it aired she shared an adorable throwback picture of herself riding a pony.
She captioned the post: ‘I guess someone wasn’t too happy that day to be riding… Maybe it was my 90s oversized grown-up coat!’
The princess flashed a strained smile as she left the Elephant Family dinner tonight – hours after her father announced he is stepping back from public duty ‘for the foreseeable future’
Meanwhile her mother – Prince Andrew’s ex-wife – Sarah Ferguson wrote on her Instagram that she was ‘deeply supportive and proud’ of her former husband, branding him a ‘giant of a principled man, that dares to put his shoulder to the wind and stands firm with his sense of honour and truth’.
This evening the Duke of York issued a statement revealing the Queen has given her permission for him to ‘step back from public duties for the foreseeable future’ amid criticism over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
He said it had become clear to him that his friendship with the billionaire paedophile had caused ‘major disruption’ to the Royal Family’s work.
Prince Andrew’s youngest daughter, pictured on her wedding day last year, has so far ignored the criticism levelled at her him for his ‘car crash’ BBC interview with Emily Maitlis and has not passed comment on his involvement with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
He also said that he is willing to help ‘any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations’ into the sex offender, who killed himself in prison while facing sex trafficking charges.
In the BBC interview, the prince spoke about his links with Epstein – who was found dead aged 66 earlier this year in a prison cell while being held on sex trafficking charges – and denied he ever had sex with the financier’s ‘sex slave’ Virginia Roberts.
Prince Andrew maintained he does not recall meeting Miss Roberts and did not spend time with her at Tramp Nightclub in London on March 10 in 2001, after which she claims the pair first had sex.
Princess Eugenie took to Instagram and shared an amusing throwback photograph of her younger self pulling an animated face while riding a pony (pictured) hours after Prince Andrew’s ‘car crash’ BBC interview
The duke denied he slept with her on three separate occasions, saying the encounter in 2001 did not happen as he had taken his daughter Princess Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking for a party, and they spent the rest of the day together.
A photograph apparently showing Andrew with his arm around then 17-year-old Roberts, now Giuffre, that evening and with Epstein’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell standing in the background, has been widely published. Supporters of Andrew, however, have disputed its authenticity.
He also dismissed claims he was sweating profusely during their encounter because he had a ‘peculiar medical condition’ meaning he cannot sweat, caused by his experiences in the Falklands War.
Prince Andrew leaves Buckingham Palace after spending the afternoon there behind a desk on Tuesday – the first time he had been seen since his BBC interview
The Duke of York (pictured during his interview with Emily Maitlis on the BBC’s Newsnight) is facing a furious backlash over his relationship with Epstein
Andrew (left) rejected the claim by one of Epstein’s (right) victims, Virginia Roberts, that he had sex with her when she was 17
More controversially, however, he said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein because of ‘the opportunities I was given to learn’ from him about trade and business.
He also revealed he believed he been acting ‘honourably’ in flying to New York to tell Epstein personally that he could no longer have anything to do with him, although admitted that ‘in hindsight’ this had been a mistake.
Princess Eugenie celebrated her first anniversary to husband Jack Brooksbank with an Instagram video highlight reel last month.
The couple invited 850 royals, aristocrats, VIPs and friends – 150 more than Harry and Meghan who married five months earlier – to their lavish ceremony in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018.
The tenth in line to the throne captioned the post: ‘This was the greatest day of my life… Forever and always! Happy one year anniversary, my Jack!’