Prince Andrew pesters Queen to turn daughters Eugenie and Beatrice into full-time pampered princesses
With concerns over William, Kate and their children taking the limelight Andy wants his brood to become full-time royals
OF all the exciting dreams a modern dad might have for his daughter – that she might be the Prime Minister, Beyonce or Kim Kardashian – what could be more patronising than suggesting she become a princess?
Yet that is what Prince Andrew wants for his girls, having recently petitioned the Queen to turn his daughters Eugenie and Beatrice — two women who otherwise have the world at their feet — into full-time pampered princesses.
Apparently concerned their spot in the royal limelight has been overshadowed by William, Kate and Harry (not to mention those little upstarts Prince George and Princess Charlotte), Andy suggested his daughters stop carving out independent careers and instead become full-time royals.
Jobs that, it just so happens, would be paid for by the taxpayer and have some plush Kensington Palace accommodation thrown in.
Sadly for Andrew, the Queen turned down his request, leaving him furious.
In part, his concern was quite understandable.
Beatrice, 28, and Eugenie, 26, are currently squashed into a tiny taxpayer-funded four-bedroom apartment in St James Palace which senior officials have despaired is “very unimpressive”.
You can imagine just how awful such digs must be considering another apartment in the building rents for £20,000 a month.
It must be hell trying to crush their vast wardrobes into such a confined space or juggle the Tatler photoshoots.
Not to mention embarrassing to show off the decor at dinner parties when it was revealed in 2009 that us tax payers only coughed up £250,000 to renovate it.
Princess Beatrice’s current state is so desperate that she only managed to fit 18 holidays into 15 months, rushing between St Barts and Roman Abramovich’s £1.5billion super yacht.
In the same period, Eugenie barely managed eight trips.
Given such dire circumstances, no wonder Prince Andrew begged Mummy for more readies for his kids.
But no matter how frantic they might be for money, surely no modern girl is desperate enough to become a full-time princess?
These days the reality is far less fairy tale and much more Grimm.
It’s hard to know what’s the least attractive thing about it.
The stuffy retiree wardrobe, the lack of freedom, performing rigor mortis smiles at official functions over dry cucumber sandwiches — which you can never eat anyway because carbs make you fat.
Signing up to a life of being a curtseying, anorexic clothes horse who isn’t allowed her own opinions.
Giving up your freedom, your personality and your nights out with the girls for a life where you can never put a manicured foot out of place.
To spend a life squeezing into outfits chosen by someone else so you can jet around the world being paraded.
Like Miss World but with less champagne, fun or sex. No wonder all the cool girls who date Prince Harry eventually run for the hills.
It’s not surprising Prince Andrew wants his kids to live the life of lushes, but I’d have hoped Beatrice and Eugenie aspired to more than being modern Marie Antoinettes.
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Sleeping Beauty dreams are for kids.
What self-respecting modern women would want to be shackled to an outdated Royal Family, least of all two girls who have had enough leg-ups to take their pick of careers?
Beatrice’s schooling cost as much as some people’s mortgage.
And before she had even graduated from Goldsmiths college in South London, she walked into work experience — first as a personal shopper at Selfridges than as an extra in the film The Young Victoria.
But she has since left four jobs in just five years and is currently unemployed.
Eugenie, who boarded at Marlborough College to the tune of £21,000 a year, graduated from Newcastle University then started work experience at Christie’s auction house.
Most of us would be lucky if they let us in.
She currently works at posh London gallery Hauser & Wirth, but there were reports she had to be reprimanded by bosses for taking too much time off.
Such privileged young women could be what they wanted: Art experts, actresses or icons.
They could be role models to young women, inspiring them to work hard, be ambitious and make something of themselves.
At the very least two such lavishly educated gals should be able to get jobs that cover their rent.
Yet instead Beatrice, Eugenie and their father aspire to nothing more than their being kept women.
After a childhood of playing pampered princesses, isn’t it time to grow up?