Princess Eugenie, 35, fell on her sword and stepped down as patron of Anti-Slavery International in Britain last week, ending a seven-year association with the world's oldest human rights organisation. The charity confirmed it in a statement first reported by The Observer on 8 March 2026, offering warm words for the princess while declining to give any reason, a silence that the circumstances surrounding her father's arrest and the Epstein files render largely unnecessary.
The mounting pressure on Eugenie's charitable positions has been building since the US Department of Justice began releasing millions of documents connected to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on 19 February 2026 on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, following allegations that he shared confidential government trade information with Epstein during his years as Britain's Special Envoy for International Trade. He was released under investigation and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Princess Eugenie's Record in Anti-Slavery Work
Anti-Slavery International, founded in 1839 as the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, is one of the most venerable human rights bodies in the world. Eugenie spent seven years as its patron, lending her name and platform to work she appeared genuinely committed to rather than treating it as a title to add to a letterhead. In its farewell statement, the charity said 'After seven years, our patronage from HRH Princess Eugenie of York has come to an end. We thank the Princess very much for her support for Anti-Slavery International. We hope that she continues to work to end slavery for good and deliver freedom for everyone.' Gracious, measured, and conspicuously silent on the reason for the separation.
The discomfort extends beyond her role at Anti-Slavery International. The Anti-Slavery Collective, which Eugenie co-founded alongside her friend Julia de Boinville in 2017, has drawn the attention of the Charity Commission. A spokesperson confirmed that regulators were 'assessing concerns raised in the media about charitable spending at The Anti-Slavery Collective to determine what role there is, if any, for the Commission.' Financial records for the year ending 5 April 2025 show the charity spent £191,537 on salaries, more than double the £97,206 directed towards charitable projects, against a total income of £92,311. The Commission has not reached any conclusions and has not set a timetable for the inquiry.
How Andrew and Ferguson Drew Princess Eugenie Into Epstein's Orbit
The connection between Eugenie and Epstein is not one she made herself. Emails released as part of the US Department of Justice's Epstein files indicate that Sarah Ferguson brought both Eugenie, then 19, and Beatrice, then 20, to visit Epstein at his Palm Beach estate in July 2009, five days after his release from a Florida prison. Epstein had served time following his 2008 admission to procuring a 14-year-old girl for prostitution. A message from Ferguson on 27 July 2009 confirmed the visit would include 'myself, Beatrice and Eugenie.' Choosing to take teenage daughters to socialise with a self-confessed sex offender who remained under house arrest is not a parenting decision that improves on reflection.
Further complicating the picture, photographs released by the US Department of Justice in January as part of the wider Epstein files appear to show Andrew in compromising positions with a woman. ITV News reported that the images were undated and released without context, and that they did not constitute proof of any wrongdoing. Andrew has denied all allegations of misconduct.
Princess Beatrice, 37, has separately faced reported tensions in her family life linked to her parents' conduct. Eugenie has now paid the more publicly visible price. She built a genuine charitable record over nearly a decade, in an area she appeared to care about. It now sits in permanent shadow, not because of anything she did, but because of the choices made by the two people who were supposed to protect her.
