Prince Harry and his cousin Princess Eugenie have "bonded again" amid her father Prince Andrew's sex abuse scandal, a royal expert has said.
The royal pair were pictured last night attending the Super Bowl together in California and were seen relaxing in the stands enjoying the action.
Harry and wife Meghan Markle are known to have an icy relationship with many of the royals after their decision to step down from the Firm in 2020.
They also spoke out against them in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last year where they alleged that there had been conversations about how dark son Archie's skin would be.
But according to royal expert and biographer Robert Jobson, Harry and Eugenie have always been close - and Eugenie refuses to "abandon" her cousin.
He told the Mirror: " Prince Harry and his first cousin Princess Eugenie have always been close.
"Ever since they were children messing around on the slopes of Klosters, Switzerland, they struck up a loving empathy.
"Back then, Harry was the court jester and both Prince Andrew and Fergie’s daughters would laugh out loud at his risqué antics.
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"She is friends with Meghan too and was close to his two previous girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas - who both attended her wedding to Jack Brooksbank.
"In fact, Eugenie helped set up actress Cressida and Harry, whose relationship promised so much before it fizzled out after two years until 2014.
"Eugenie and Harry are known to get on well, and 40-year-old Meghan actually knew the princess before she had even met Harry - something she revealed during the Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021.
"Now Harry is married and settled in the US and his relationship with his father, Charles, and brother, William, is fractured, Eugenie - who is close to the Queen - is one of his only connections to the royal family. She refuses to abandon him.
"A close source said: 'Eugenie is a sweet lady. Everyone gets on with her in the family. She is a very warm person. But she is fiercely loyal too and she is not one for taking sides in issues that are not her business.
“'She has always been close to Harry, they just get on. She is not one for taking sides”' the source said.
"Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage with her on the two times he has visited the UK and had to quarantine - since his decision to step down as a senior working royal.
"With her father Andrew a royal outcast too after his shaming over his Epstein connections and the ongoing civil sex case against him, it is understood the two cousins have bonded again.
"Harry has also been close to Fergie too, again another who has experienced the royal wrath and exile."
While Harry and Eugenie were in the stands at the SoFi Stadium to see the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals, there was no sign of their respective spouses Meghan and Jack Brooksbank.
Robert added: "They sat in leather chairs outside a private box at the stadium and wore face coverings in accordance with local rules.
"The presence of the two royals at the star-studded event - hosted the likes of Ryan Reynolds, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Charlize Theron, and others - was announced publicly.
"The NFL UK Twitter account shared a photo of them and wrote: 'Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie in the house at #SBLVI.'
"Harry, in a white T-shirt and dark jacket and was seen resting his shoes on the barrier in front of him. There was also no sign of Eugenie's husband Jack Brooksbank or Meghan.
"Eugenie paired her mask with a baseball hat, jeans and a blazer, and had a bottle of Aquafina water on the barrier in front of her. Harry also had a glass in front of him on the barrier but its contents could not be seen.
"It’s not known why Meghan or Jack were not there. Meghan, after all, gets on well with Eugenie.
"The princess even backed one of Meghan’s many causes. She publicly volunteered to participate in 40X40, an Archewell mentoring programme for women who want to return to work after the pandemic.
"And she shared an image of the Archewell website on her Instagram account to celebrate Meghan’s 40th birthday.
"With Harry’s communication with his father and brother at an all-time low, perhaps his cousin is the only small chance of him continuing to maintain a relationship with the royals - especially with the publication date of his bombshell memoir fast approaching."
