Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie staged their own surprise show of sisterly unity at their cousin Peter Phillips's 'intimate wedding' in the Cotswolds.
It was their first public appearance together since their disgraced father, former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
And while Andrew has been stripped of his title and all royal privileges, his daughters showed they were only too keen to maintain their own position in the Royal Family, days after an 'outrageous' National Audit report revealed they have not paid a penny in rent for years.
On Saturday, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 36, arrived separately at the venue in Kemble, Gloucestershire, and were dropped off at a house next to the All Saints Church, out of sight of the waiting press.
They then teamed up for a coordinated public entrance together, flanked by their respective husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, in full view of the cameras.
The move meant that the pair were far more visible as they were photographed during a long walk up from their drop-off spot instead of being deposited – like all the other royal guests – directly outside the church gate.
The King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were only visible to the cameras for a few seconds after their cars stopped at the church gate, whereas the York sisters were walking towards the cameras for more than a full minute.
Although they were greeted warmly by members of the Royal Family, including Prince William, a source told the Daily Mail that the future King wants to take a harder line on their rent-free homes than his father.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie staged their own surprise show of sisterly unity at their cousin Peter Phillips’s 'intimate wedding' in the Cotswolds
The show of unity was significant because it emerged last week that the King will review the rental agreements for both women within the coming year, following a report published by the National Audit Office (NAO).
It showed that disgraced Andrew’s daughters had homes within St James’s Palace and Kensington Palace, which cost them nothing.
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The report revealed that the King privately funded their rents, which were already subject to a 40 per cent reduction on the market value.
Beatrice has an apartment in St James’s Palace, and Eugenie has Ivy Cottage, a three-bedroom property at Kensington Palace.
It was an arrangement dating back to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was very fond of her granddaughters, and Charles continued to honour it.
The money that Charles uses to pay for his nieces' rent comes from the Privy Purse, which is made up of his Duchy of Lancaster income and other private funds. No taxpayer money is involved.
But more controversial is the fact that the upkeep for both royal properties is funded via the Sovereign Fund, which does come from taxpayers’ money.
Both Beatrice and Eugenie own their own separate homes and have wealthy husbands, meaning they could easily afford to pay their own bills.
A source told this newspaper that despite his kisses for his cousins at Peter and Harriet's wedding, William wants to take a harder line on their rent-free homes than Charles.
'William couldn’t be seen to be snubbing his cousins at a family wedding,' the insider said.
Beatrice and Eugenie teamed up for a coordinated public entrance together, flanked by their respective husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, in full view of the cameras
The move meant that the pair were far more visible as they were photographed during a long walk up from their drop-off spot
Prince William leaning in to kiss Princess Beatrice on the cheek at Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling's wedding in Kemble yesterday
'My understanding is that William isn’t as close as Harry is - or was, at least - to Beatrice and Eugenie, but the cousins get on OK . They just don’t see that much of each other.
'But William has to think about the future of the monarchy and seems to have recognised that providing accommodation for relatives who do nothing on behalf of the taxpayer is not sustainable.'
The siblings' attendance was something of a surprise following reports that they were unlikely to show up.
It was suggested that the pair were reluctant to draw attention away from the happy couple, given the ongoing controversies surrounding their father and mother, Sarah Ferguson.
However, such difficulties were sidelined as the nuptials at the 12th-century All Saints Church took priority.…
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