Princess Eugenie Is Reportedly in a "Precarious Position" Between Prince Harry and King Charles

"Eugenie is in a difficult spot."

Princess Eugenie wearing a black hat, King Charles and Prince Harry wearing suits
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Much has been written about Princess Eugenie's reported role in the alleged Royal Family rift. Back in July, it was claimed that Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice, hadn't been in contact with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in "quite some time." A conflicting report suggested that both York sisters were "still the best of friends" with Harry, even if the alleged rift was "really stressful" for them. Now, a royal source has reported that Princess Eugenie is stuck in the middle of the Royal Family rift.

"Eugenie is in a difficult spot because she's always been close to Harry, but she is extremely mindful that this relationship could rock the boat with the rest of her family," a source told the Express.

"It's a rather precarious position for her to be in and one that requires a delicate balancing act," the source continued. "The Yorks are keen to keep on the good side of senior royals following recent events, so [Eugenie] most certainly doesn't want anything to hamper the family's recent good efforts."

Princess Eugenie wears a shiny green dress on the red carpet

"Eugenie is in a difficult spot because she's always been close to Harry."

(Image credit: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

In October 2023, a source close to the York family spoke to Hello! about Eugenie's close bond with Prince Harry.

"I think for Harry, Eugenie is his go-to royal," family friend Dr. Anthony Wallersteiner told the outlet. "I think those cousins are very close, which is good, and I think Eugenie acts as a bridge between Harry and the rest of the family, which is really useful to have."

During the same interview, Wallersteiner reflected on Eugenie's royal wedding to Jack Brooksbank, which took place in St. George's Chapel in October 2018.

"It was a joyously happy occasion," he explained. "It was lovely to see the whole of the Royal Family united to celebrate Jack and Eugenie’s wedding. It was nice to see Harry and Meghan there. It was a time when everyone was together and, of course, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were there as well."

He continued, "A lot has changed in the last five years for the Royal Family, but this goes back to a time when there really was a moment of togetherness and family bonding."

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.