Princess Beatrice could be taking the stand in the shocking court case against her disgraced father.
While her mum, Fergie, and sister, Eugenie, are focused on the fallout since Prince Andrew was summarily evicted from the royal family, sources say Bea is convinced she will be deposed.
“Bea is no fool,” says a pal. “Andrew literally pulled them into the thick of it all with his Pizza Express claims and she knows this fact alone has put all three of them in the firing line as potential witnesses.”
In 2019, Andrew claimed in his disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis for the BBC’s Newsnight that he took Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking on the night when he is alleged to have forced his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, to have sex.
“I was with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose four or five in the afternoon,” Andrew said.
“And then because the duchess [Sarah Ferguson] was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other is there.”
While sources believe it’s unlikely the York women will have to physically face the American courts and any depositions will be done in the UK, the situation has put all of them in a very difficult position.
Royal author Penny Junor tells New Idea that if Andrew should settle the case instead of going to trial, he could “save Beatrice a day in court”, but no matter what happens she is likely to be feeling “humiliated” by the whole situation.
“I’m sure they don’t doubt his innocence – he is their father, and they love him.
“But they see the news and know what people are saying about him,” she says. “I imagine they feel embarrassed and humiliated beyond belief.”