The three were once inseparable (Image: Getty)

Not so long ago, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson gave themselves a private nickname together to celebrate their closeness. Now, though, everything has changed.

In the wake of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s public disgrace, his ex-wife and two daughters find themselves adrift in uncharted waters. Since Andrew was stripped of his titles and honours in October last year, Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie have taken quite different approaches to the problem.

Eugenie, who lives in Portugal, has reportedly been seeking to distance herself from her scandal-hit father while Beatrice seems to be more visibly standing by him.

Meanwhile their mother has disappeared from public view altogether, with rumours that she was hiding out in the home of good friend Priscilla Presley being dismissed over the weekend.

It’s a far cry from the glory days of “The Tripod,” royal expert Emily Nash points out on this week’s Hello! Magazine podcast. Speaking of their closeness in a 2008 interview with The Telegraph, Eugenie said: “Mummy, Bea and I call ourselves ‘The Tripod’. They are my best friends in the world.”

Emily explains: “They now find themselves on the edge and slightly cast adrift from the rest of the Royal Family because everyone’s waiting to see what else might come out of the woodwork.”

Beatrice, Sarah and Eugenie called themselves ‘The Tripod’ (Image: Getty)

A family friend has told the Daily Mail’s royal editor, Rebecca English, that Beatrice and Eugenie are both deeply disappointed with their mother. “Beatrice and Eugenie are lovely girls and they have been left bereft by this all,” the source said. “I would actually go so far as to say that they are even more disappointed in their mother than their father now.

“The tripod has collapsed. Obviously they will continue to support their parents, but they feel so let down.”

The three members of “The Tripod” haven’t been seen together in recent months. At present, Sarah Ferguson’s whereabouts remain unclear. According to a recent Page Six article, The King’s former sister-in-law is “effectively homeless” after both of her daughters had declined to house her in the homes they share with their husbands and children.

Although none of the allegations have been proven, Andrew’s arrest changed everything (Image: Getty)

Until February this year, Sarah had been living in a wing of her ex-husband’s palatial home – Royal Lodge on the Windsor Home Park estate. She had boasted that despite their split in 1996, she and Andrew remained very close, saying: “We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world. We’re divorced to each other, not from each other.”

In Entitled, Andrew Lownie’s bombshell biography of Andrew and Sarah, the former prince is quotes as even speculating about remarrying his ex. “I don’t rule remarriage out and I certainly don’t rule it in,” Andrew reportedly said adding, “If ever the opportunity arose, I do not know what I would do, as it is not in the plan.”

While friends privately said that for her part Sarah had no desire to “put her head back into that lion’s cage”, Sarah spoke of her eternal loyalty to him, telling the Daily Mail: “My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will.”

Sarah and Andrew were both turfed out of Royal Lodge in February (Image: Getty)

But after losing the tenancy of Royal Lodge, Sarah has not been seen with her former husband. Speaking to the Mail about their relationship, royal commentator Richard FitzWilliams said: “The world can clearly see that the previous arrangement was designed to maximise the benefit of Andrew’s public life for them privately.

“The procession of dubious friends including an alleged Chinese spy over many years spoke for itself. The public have been appalled by them, the politicians are restive and there is almost certainly much more to come in the Epstein files.”

He added that finding a suitable home for Andrew had been problematic enough, despite the breadth of the Royal Family’s estates: “The problem is that the Waleses will not want them as neighbours – who would? If there’s one thing that William and Kate won’t want, it is Andrew and Fergie in close proximity.”

Beatrice and Eugenie have also largely kept away from the spotlight, while many have posed questions about the royal sisters’ future. There has been speculation that they, too, could end up losing their royal titles. With the investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor still ongoing, the royal sisters remain in limbo as potential life-changing decisions linger about their uncertain futures.

Andrew’s freindship with Jeffrey Epstein has cast a shadow over his family (Image: Getty)

Both Beatrice and Eugenie were also named in documents released from the FBI investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

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One of the released emails appears to show that Sarah took Beatrice and Eugenie, then 20 and 19 years old, to “celebrate” Epstein’s release from prison in 2009. Neither one of the princesses has as yet responded to any of these claims. While the presence of their names in the files does not in itself show any wrongdoing, calls have increased for the princesses to speak about what they may know about their parents’ association with the late convicted sex offender.

Royal expert Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “I’ve said before and I repeat that I think it would be best for both Beatrice and Eugenie give up their royal titles and live an entirely private life. So far they have not chosen to do so. Nor have they given their account of what they knew about Epstein and their parents’ friendship with him.”