Middle East ‘ambassadors’ claim over trips by princesses
Beatrice and Eugenie have become unofficial ambassadors for the UK as calls grow for their father to reveal the source of his funds for the Royal Lodge.
Prince Andrew’s daughters have made a number of visits to the Middle East, leading to claims that they are becoming “cultural ambassadors” in the region.
Princess Beatrice, 36, has appeared at conferences in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi in the past month, while Princess Eugenie, 34, has attended events in Qatar.
The visits came as their father was under pressure to reveal the source of the windfall that has allowed him to remain in Royal Lodge. Last week The Times revealed he has convinced palace authorities he has the means, likely to be millions of pounds, to pay for his upkeep at the 30-room mansion.
Beatrice told the Adipec energy conference, in Abu Dhabi, that the UK’s contribution to the AI revolution was “great talent, great individuals”.
The princess, who founded BY-EQ in 2022, spoke about AI, calling it “my favourite subject”: “I’m probably making it my whole life’s mission to think about how hope and technology can kind of work in a collaboration mindset.”
The conference was organised by the Abu Dhabi national oil company and the UAE energy ministry through Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the president of the UAE.
It followed her trip to Saudi Arabia for the Future Investment Initiative, in October. Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Arabian wealth fund, is one of the trustees.
It was the second time she had been to Saudi Arabia this year, after joining the special meeting of the world economic forum at the end of April in the capital, Riyadh.
The region has also attracted Eugenie, who is an art director at the Mayfair gallery Hauser and Wirth. She was pictured in Doha at the M7 art centre, and at the Chaumet and Nature exhibition.
This followed her attendance at a dinner last year hosted by Sheikha al-Mayassa, the sister of the country’s emir, in London, to celebrate a Fashion Trust Arabia prize.
Jennifer Gnana, Gulf correspondent for Al-Monitor, said: “Along with her sister Eugenie, Beatrice is a regular at Saudi conferences. She’s become a culture ambassador of sorts for the UK.”
Their reception has been compared to that of Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner.
Speculation is growing about the Duke of York and whether he has re-entered the world of business, helping him to keep Royal Lodge. It is thought Andrew would be required to pay £275,000 ($536,958) annual rent, contribute to the £3 million-per-year security bill and pay for repairs. Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the privy purse, sanctioned the funds as from a legitimate source.
This week there were fresh calls for Buckingham Palace to declare where the money was coming from. Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, said: “Real transparency is absolutely crucial when we are seeing such an increase in the sovereign grant.”
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, could be dragged into the row because the Treasury receives the income from the Crown Estate.
Andrew’s official income is his £20,000-a-year navy pension, but he has continued to enjoy a luxury lifestyle. He has done deals with Timur Kulibayev, a Kazakh oligarch, and David Rowland, the property billionaire, and he sold the Swiss chalet he owned with Sarah, Duchess of York.
The Times
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