There has been a long-simmering feud between Prince Charles and Prince Andrew for years, really. But the feud got ramped up this year, as it is believed that Andrew has basically asked his mother, the Queen, to intervene. The feud is about a lot of things, but the main argument these days is that Andrew isn’t a fan of Charles’ idea for a “streamlined monarchy” with only William, Harry and Kate getting any kind of priority and/or status. Andrew wants his two daughters, Eugenie and Beatrice, to always retain their HRH-status, and to be acknowledged as full-time working royals, with all of the perks and status that come along with that. The Queen is said to be in agreement with Andrew, mostly because she’s very fond of Eugenie and Beatrice, but who knows what will happen long-term, especially when Charles is king?

Well, apparently Andrew is thinking long-term. Especially now that it’s looking more and more like Eugenie is close to announcing her engagement to her long-time boyfriend Jack Brooksbank. Eugenie, I feel, plays the long game more than Beatrice. Eugenie seems to have made peace with the Duchess of Cambridge and the Middletons, and Eugenie has taken an apartment at Kensington Palace this year too. She seems to want to do what it takes to become a working royal. And now Andrew is advocating on her behalf (and on behalf of Beatrice) that his daughters’ future husbands should be given earldoms, lest his girls be treated like mere commoners once they marry.

While all of the Queen’s children got to be HRH, only those grandchildren born to the monarch’s sons do so. Thus, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie – daughters of Prince Andrew – are HRHs but Peter and Zara, children of Princess Anne, are not.

Now Andrew wants to improve the status of his daughters by persuading the Queen and her heir Prince Charles to allow their future husbands to have earldoms.

‘Otherwise his daughters’ children will be commoners, defined as one of the ordinary or common people, as opposed to the aristocracy or to royalty,’ my source explains. Imagine!

[From The Daily Mail]

In case anyone is wondering, it really is that easy to get an earldom. The Queen only has to, like, sign a paper or publicly declare it, and BOOM! Jack Brooksbank gets an earldom. I remember in the lead-up to then-Kate Middleton’s wedding to Prince William, there was so much conversation about what title should would get, and how gaudy it could possibly be. In the end, I’m glad that Kate was only made into a duchess. Something I’ve always wondered about blood princesses though… when they marry, can they choose to keep their “maiden name/maiden title”? Like, say Eugenie marries Jack. Can she publicly declare, “I’m keeping my maiden name” and she’ll just be Princess Eugenie, rather than Mrs. Brooksbank? Anyway, I think it’s interesting that Andrew wants to get this settled right now, while his mother is alive. Because you know King Charles isn’t going to give Bea and Eugenie’s husbands any earldoms.

Photos courtesy of WENN.