A friend of Peter and Harriet stated that it was p...

A friend of Peter and Harriet stated that it was probably not deemed appropriate to invite the two individuals

Prince William at the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling on June 6, 2026 in Kemble, England; Princess Beatrice at the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling on June 6, 2026 in Kemble, England.Credit : Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty; Karwai Tang/WireImage

NEED TO KNOW

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attended their cousin Peter Phillips’ wedding without their parents
Prince William warmly greeted Beatrice at the event, while Zara Tindall embraced Beatrice’s husband
Beatrice and Eugenie maintain their royal titles despite their parents’ scandals

Princess Beatrice received a warm welcome from Prince William at the wedding of their cousin Peter Phillips.

On June 6, the Prince of Wales, 43, greeted his cousin Beatrice, 37, with a kiss on the cheek outside of All Saints’ Church in the village of Kemble on the big day.

Princess Anne’s son, Peter, 48, married Harriet Sperling on Saturday in a celebration that brought the royal family together and served as a significant outing for Princess Beatrice and her sister, Princess Eugenie.

Prince William’s warm greeting for Beatrice wasn’t the only one caught on camera, either.

Princess Beatrice and Prince William at the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling at All Saints’ Church on June 6, 2026 in Kemble, England.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was similarly embraced by Zara Tindall, the sister of the groom, and the pair shared a hug and kiss on the cheek.

Peter’s royal wedding marked one of the first major appearances for Princess Beatrice, her sister Princess Eugenie and their husbands at a royal family event amid renewed interest in the princesses’ parents’ ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.

The former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were stripped of their royal titles and ordered to vacate their royal residence in October 2025 amid the turmoil, and Andrew was later arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Authorities are investigating a claim that he shared confidential information with Epstein during his time as a trade envoy, which has since expanded to assess claims of sexual misconduct.

Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and other guests at the royal wedding of wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling at All Saints Church on June 6, 2026 in Kemble, England.Samir Hussein/WireImage

The former Duke of York, 66, has denied any wrongdoing regarding his ties to Epstein, which set his step back from royal life in motion in 2019.

When Andrew’s royal titles were removed in the fall, PEOPLE understood that the royal status of his daughters remained “wholly unaffected.”

As the daughters of a son of the late Queen Elizabeth, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, 35, retain their royal titles in accordance with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917. They remain princesses, hold the styling of Her Royal Highness and spent Christmas with King Charles and the royal family at Sandringham, despite their parents’ absence from the gathering.

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi , Princess Beatrice, Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie arriving for the wedding of Harriet Sperling to Peter Phillips at All Saints Church in Kemble on June 6, 2026. Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty

“They live and die by the monarchy, so this didn’t surprise me at all. And Andrew and Sarah would have 1,000% supported it,” a friend exclusively told PEOPLE soon after.

Months later, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Eugenie was pregnant and expecting her third child with husband Jack Brooksbank. The update signaled solidarity with the royal fold as the announcement came from the palace itself.

While Beatrice and Eugenie were expected to attend the nuptials of their cousin Peter, their parents were reportedly not invited to the celebration.

Ahead of the wedding, a friend of Peter and Harriet’s told Hello! magazine that “it was probably not deemed appropriate to invite” the former Duke and Duchess of York.

“It’s Peter and Harriet’s special day, and clearly their attendance would cause a distraction to the whole day,” the friend said.

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in London on September 16, 2025; Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at The Anti Slavery Collective’s inaugural Winter Gala at Battersea Arts Centre on November 29, 2023 in London.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty; Dave Benett/Getty

Andrew and Ferguson have been lying low since their royal titles were removed and they were evicted from Royal Lodge in the autumn. The Sun reported in April that Ferguson retreated to the Austrian Alps, while Andrew has kept a low profile around his new Marsh Farm home.

Following their father’s arrest in February, a source exclusively told PEOPLE that Beatrice and Eugenie were trying to keep a distance as they shielded their families.

“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 said.

SOURCE: PEOPLE