David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; DAVID HARTLEY/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
Princess Eugenie was reportedly seen skiing with her family on the eve of her father Andrew's arrest
The former Prince Andrew, now called Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Feb. 19
Princess Eugenie was spotted in Gstaad, Switzerland, with her husband and children, according to Hello! magazine
Princess Eugeniereportedly hit the slopes in Switzerland shortly before her father, the formerPrince Andrew, was arrested.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor wasarrested in Sandringham on Thursday, Feb. 19, his 66th birthday, and his younger daughter was spotted skiing in Gstaad on Wednesday, Feb. 18,Hello!magazinereported.
According to the outlet, the princess was with her husband,Jack Brooksbank, and their sonsAugust, 5, andErnest, 2. They were also joined by the family's nanny and a group of friends.
Hello!reported that they spent time skiing and had lunch at the slopeside Restaurant Waldmatte, where they sat inside.
Princess Eugenie/Instagram
"They were tucked away in a corner and casually dressed in ski gear and jackets, and Jack was wearing a beanie hat as they both browsed the menu," said a diner who saw them at lunchtime, per the outlet.
Switzerland is a special place for Eugenie and Jack, 39, who met during a ski trip to Verbier in 2010 and married in 2018. Her parents, the former Duke of York andSarah Ferguson, alsopreviously owned a ski chalet in Verbier, which was sold in 2022 amid a financial dispute with the former owner, who took the issue to court in 2020.
Princess Eugenie/Instagram
On Feb. 19, Eugenie's father was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Authorities are investigating him around a claim that he shared confidential information with the late Jeffrey Epstein while acting as a trade envoy for the U.K., a position he held from 2001 to 2011. Andrew's ties to Epsteinset his step back from public life in motionin 2019, and he has continuously denied any wrongdoing in relation to their relationship.
PEOPLE understands thatBuckingham Palace was not informed of Andrew's arrest in advance, and the King, 77, released a statement soon aftervowing that the palace would cooperate with authoritiesin the investigation.
Advertisement
Andrew was arrested around 8 a.m. local time andwas seen leaving Aylsham Police Station in Norfolkafter spending approximately 11 hours in custody. Policesaidon Thursday that they wrapped their searches in Norfolk, home to Andrew's current residence, while their searches continue in Berkshire, where his Royal Lodge residence, from which he was recently evicted, is located.
Leon Neal/Getty ; RICHARD WAINWRIGHT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
As Princess Eugenie and her sister,Princess Beatrice, navigate a renewed family fallout amid their father's arrest,a source tells PEOPLE that they are keeping their distance.
"They're trying to stay away from it. They have young children, and this is their grandfather — their focus is on protecting their own children from this," the source says.
As they protect their own families, the source adds, "They're also putting pieces of the puzzle together in real time and realizing they may have been used."
"That has to feel like a complete betrayal. They're heartbroken — but a dad is still your dad, and a mom is still your mom. Love for a parent isn't a light switch. It's an incredibly painful and introspective moment for them," the source says.
Paul Grover/Shutterstock
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have maintained their relationship with their father and mother during the recent turns of the former couple's Epstein-related fall from grace, inviting them tolow-profile family eventsandspending time together privately.
Read the original article onPeople
