SerpApi.Org
Ahead of the birth of her third child this summer, Princess Eugenie wants peace and privacy — not another round of royal family drama.
A source told Closer that Eugenie made the difficult decision to ban her parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, from the hospital when she delivers her baby in the coming weeks — and that her choice has left her father “fuming and taking it as a personal insult.”
The tension comes as the former Duke and Duchess of York, who were stripped of their royal titles last fall, continue to face scrutiny over their ties to predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Unhappy over hospital ban
“Eugenie’s No. 1 priority is having this baby with the absolute minimum of fuss,” the source said. “She doesn’t want the hospital turning into a circus, and she’s made that very clear.”
The magazine reported that Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank are planning to welcome a sibling for sons August, 5, and Ernest, 3, at London’s Portland Hospital, where she delivered both boys and was born herself. (Sister Princess Beatrice was also born there.)
But her parents have not accepted the decision quietly, Closer explained. “Unfortunately, her parents are not taking it well and she’s getting a ton of pushback from Andrew and Sarah,” the source said. “He doesn’t seem to care that if he’s there it will become the main focus, which is the last thing Eugenie wants.”
According to the source, Andrew might ordinarily have accepted the boundary, as he’s never been as eager as Fergie to be present for every major grandchild milestone.
“If Andrew wasn’t already so bent out of shape about the way he feels he’s being treated by the [wider royal] family, this probably wouldn’t even be on his radar,” the source explained. “He adores his grandchildren, of course he does, but he’s never been the sort of granddad who insists on hovering over every birth the way Sarah tends to.”
A ‘huge test of loyalty’
The former Duke of York is reportedly interpreting Eugenie’s hospital plans as another sign that his daughters are pushing him away.
“The problem is he’s become so defensive that he’s looking for any little sign that the girls are distancing themselves from him, and he’s latched on to this as though it’s some huge test of loyalty,” the source said. “In his mind, Eugenie ought to be proving she’s still firmly in his corner by at least letting him come to the hospital and feel part of it all.”
According to the source, Eugenie believes her father is way off base to think he can treat her private birth as an opportunity for her to publicly demonstrate her support for him.
“Eugenie keeps telling him that’s completely missing the point,” the source said. “For her this isn’t the time to be making some big public statement; it’s simply about having the birth she wants with as little fuss and distraction as possible.”
“She can’t understand why he won’t accept that she just wants a bit of peace and quiet to settle in with the baby before everyone starts descending. She’s promising that they’ll all get their turn soon enough,” the insider added.
Jack Brooksbank urges Princess Eugenie to ‘stick to her guns’
Jack is reportedly backing his wife and urging her not to let pressure from her parents disrupt the final stretch of her pregnancy or the arrival of their new baby.
“Jack’s been encouraging Eugenie to stick to her guns but of course it’s very difficult because she hates upsetting her parents,” the source said.
According to the magazine, the couple are also reluctant to be photographed publicly with her father.
“The truth is, Eugenie and Jack still don’t even want to be seen in public with him, they’re not about to let him turn this momentous day into some sort of [public relations] exercise,” the source explained. “They’re pretty appalled he’s being so pushy about it.”
Princess Eugenie could soften stance toward her mom
While Andrew has been told to stay away, Eugenie might be willing to make an exception for Fergie, who was a hands-on grandmother to both Eugenie’s and Beatrice’s children before the Epstein scandal reignited.
“Sarah has been pleading with Eugenie to reconsider because she desperately wants to be there to welcome her new grandchild into the world,” the source said. “The hope is Sarah might quietly be allowed to sneak in at some point.”
The disgraced former duke and duchess
In recent months, Andrew lost his royal titles and gave up the lease on his 30-room Crown Estate mansion, Royal Lodge — where his ex-wife lived with him — as questions about their relationships with Epstein continued to surface.
He was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office weeks after the U.S. Justice Department released emails suggesting he had passed along sensitive government documents to Epstein while serving as Britain’s trade envoy.
Fergie has remained out of public view since late 2025 amid renewed scrutiny of her own communications and meetings with the disgraced financier.
This spring, it emerged she’d been staying at a luxury chalet in the Austrian Alps. Andrew, meanwhile, has been laying low at his new home, five-bedroom Marsh Farm, on the king’s privately owned Sandringham estate.
