Princess Eugenie and Her Kids Were Spotted by a “Surprised” Fan Hours Before Andrew’s Arrest
"I thought she would be keeping a low profile," said a fellow diner at a high-end ski resort.
Sarah Ferguson and Princess Beatrice's whereabouts are currently unknown a day after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested, but according to one Swiss vacationer, Princess Eugenie and her family have been spending some quality time on the slopes. As Hello! reported, a source spotted Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank enjoying lunch with their two children August, 5, and Ernest, 3, at a restaurant in the luxe ski resort of Gstaad, Switzerland on February 18—the day before Andrew's arrest.
"I was surprised to see her because I thought she would be keeping a low profile in light of everything that has been going on," the onlooker said. According to the source, Eugenie and family were joined by their nanny and some friends at a traditional Swiss restaurant overlooking the ski slopes.
"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," the source told Hello!
Jack Brooksbank is pictured with son Ernest on a past ski holiday.
Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are pictured with Princess Eugenie (center) and Princess Beatrice (right) on February 18, 2003 in Verbier, Switzerland.
Princess Eugenie met Brooksbank in Verbier, Switzerland in 2010, and Andrew and Sarah previously owned a ski chalet in the high-end ski town. The family routinely visited Verbier over Andrew's birthday, February 19, in the '90s and early 2000s, making the timing of Eugenie's trip especially bittersweet.
Members of the Royal Family were not made aware of the former Duke of York's arrest ahead of time, and as Hello! notes, it's unclear if Eugenie "stayed in Switzerland after the news broke."
Andrew was taken into custody on the morning of February 19 on suspicions of misconduct in public office. The former duke once served as a trade envoy promoting British business interests abroad, and in emails released by the Department of Justice in January, he appears to have shared confidential documents with the late Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the Telegraph, Eugenie and her big sister, Princess Beatrice, are "in a state" over their father's historic arrest. Andrew is the first modern British royal to be taken into police custody and the first to be arrested since King Charles I in the 1600s. The former duke was released from Aylsham Police Station in Norfolk , England—close to his home on the Sandringham estate—after spending 11 hours in custody Thursday.
