Despite a big PR campaign keen to portray the princesses as 'collateral damage' in their parents' spectacular fall from grace, Beatrice and Eugenie are far from innocent and continue to materially benefit from Andrew and Fergie's unsavoury web of contacts, royal biographer Andrew Lownie has claimed.
Speaking to the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential, Lownie urged the princesses to step away from public life entirely, saying the 'obvious thing for them to do' would be to renounce their titles before the media spotlight inevitably falls upon them.
Lownie is the author of the unauthorised biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which chronicles the couple's controversies. An updated paperback edition, containing new revelations gathered over the past two years, is available now.
The author alleged that Beatrice and Eugenie had spent years 'collecting contacts' off the backs of their parents, which they have since leveraged to build their careers.
Beatrice and Eugenie have materially benefitted from Andrew and Fergie's unsavoury web of contacts, royal biographer Andrew Lownie has claimed.
Lownie is the author of the unauthorised biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which chronicles the couple's controversies
He told Palace Confidential: 'There has been a big PR campaign to suggest the princesses' innocence - that they are collateral damage, that they should not be penalised for the sins of their parents.
'But everything I found in my research suggests they were part of the whole operation. They have been collecting contacts off the backs of their parents.
'As children, they would have been on many of these trade trips paid for by the taxpayer. They have since spent a great deal of time in the Middle East, where they have been using their titles to promote Saudi banks.
'They have been paid to appear at events and given expensive gifts, including from a Turkish billionaire. Both of their jobs, which are effectively client relations roles, one for an art gallery and one for an AI firm, are based on their contacts and a series of unexplained trips.'
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is currently under investigation for misconduct in public office, relating to allegations he passed confidential information obtained through his role as the UK's Trade Envoy to convicted paedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein. The former Prince denies all allegations against him.
Eldest daughter Beatrice holds a number of roles in artificial intelligence and finance, while Eugenie works as a director at the London art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
The princesses have retained their royal titles despite their father losing his, with King Charles previously signalling they should not be made to pay for Andrew's alleged sins.
The author alleged that Beatrice and Eugenie had spent years 'collecting contacts' off the backs of their parents, which they have since leveraged to build their careers
Buckingham Palace recently congratulated Eugenie on her third pregnancy, indicating a thawing, at least publicly, toward the York sisters.
'The obvious thing for them to do would be to give up their titles and retire from public life', Lownie claimed.
'Concentrate on their careers and families. We had a moment where Prince William wanted them to carry out an audit of their business activities, to satisfy him that there were no embarrassing stories there. I understand that they didn't do that and that doesn't look good.
'We need more transparency from all members of the Royal Family to restore trust and respect.'
To hear Lownie discuss Sarah Ferguson's relationship with disgraced rap mogul Sean Combs, watch the full interview by subscribing to the Palace Confidential YouTube channel.