Why Princess Catherine ‘pulls away’ from Princess Eugenie
Catherine, Princess of Wales, is said to be putting increasing distance between herself and Princess Eugenie as tensions and loyalties within the royal family continue to shift in the wake of Prince Harry’s public fallout with the monarchy and Andrew Windsor’s Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that while the Princess of Wales, 44, and Eugenie, 36, have long appeared cordial during official royal engagements, insiders told us the pair never developed a particularly close personal relationship, despite having strikingly similar backgrounds.
Both attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire and both developed a strong interest in the arts. Catherine studied art history at the University of St Andrews, where she met Prince William, 43, while Eugenie now works as a director at contemporary London gallery Hauser & Wirth.
Still, royal insiders said their personalities, priorities and family loyalties have increasingly pulled them in different directions.
A source said: ‘In recent years, Kate has become extremely selective when it comes to the people she allows into her trusted circle. After all the turmoil surrounding Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life, and with the scandal surrounding Eugenie’s father, Andrew, there has been a much stronger emphasis on loyalty, discretion and protecting the stability of the Welsh household.
“Because Eugenie has remained one of the few family members publicly close to Harry, this naturally also creates a degree of caution and discomfort.”
The insider added: “It’s not that Kate and Eugenie have had a dramatic falling out or a big confrontation behind closed doors. The issue is much more subtle than that. There is simply a growing emotional and social distance between them as they now occupy very different spaces within the royal family and have very different priorities.”
The source continued: ‘Kate’s entire focus is on supporting William, securing the future of the monarchy and maintaining a sense of discipline and unity around the key working royals.
“She has become incredibly protective of that environment. Eugenie, meanwhile, is still seen by some palace insiders as someone who remains sympathetic to her father, Harry and Meghan and emotionally connected to their side of the family rift.”
“That inevitably complicates relationships because, whether they’re honest or not, there’s always an underlying concern about where loyalties ultimately lie,” the insider noted. “Kate has become much more cautious since the fallout from Sussex, and that has certainly changed the dynamic with Eugenie.”
The differences between Catherine and Eugenie are said to date back to their school years at Marlborough College, where the future Princess of Wales was known for her relatively low profile academically and socially.
Eugenie, on the other hand, found herself embroiled in the headlines in her final year at the elite boarding school following an infamous late-night incident in 2008, when she was 18.
According to reports at the time, Eugenie and several fellow students had been discovered naked dancing on the school grounds after a night of drinking.
An employee said at the time: ‘The girls had been drinking, possibly in a local pub, and decided to let their hair down. For some reason they undressed and started prancing around. It was light and they were kind of frolicking like nymphs.
“But they became too loud and the staff discovered them. They had to quickly pick up their clothes and bring them inside. They and the others were told to go home and only come back to take their exams. There were not enough staff to supervise on Saturdays and Sundays, and they were told they could not behave.”
At the time, a source also said, “They were nothing more than jokes at the end of the term in May. A group of them were reprimanded, and that’s the end of the matter.”
Royal insiders now claim that the contrast between Catherine’s carefully disciplined image and Eugenie’s more unconventional reputation continues to shape how both women are viewed within palace circles.
A source said: “Kate has worked incredibly hard over the years to cultivate an image that reflects discipline, reliability and a very traditional sense of royal duty. Everything about the way she conducts herself is carefully measured – from her public appearances to the people she surrounds herself with. She understands that, as a future queen, stability and discretion are absolutely central to her role.”
The insider added: ‘Eugenie has always been perceived very differently within royal circles. She is generally seen as more relaxed, more socially adventurous, and much more embedded in famous and non-royal social circles than Kate has ever felt comfortable with. She moves in a much freer world, while Kate tends to keep a very controlled and tightly managed environment around her.
“The ongoing fallout involving Harry and Andrew has only exacerbated those differences. Eugenie remained one of the few members of the family to maintain a visible bond with Harry after everything that happened, and this has not gone unnoticed in palace circles.”
“William and Kate have become extremely cautious and protective in the wake of the Sussex tragedy, especially when it comes to trust and loyalty within the family,” the tipster added. “So if Eugenie is still seen as someone emotionally close to Harry and sympathetic to his perspective, it inevitably creates a layer of tension and sensitivity in those relationships, even if no one publicly acknowledges it.”
