LONDON: Britain’s Prince Andrew issued a rare statement on Friday to deny any rifts with his older brother and heir to the throne Prince Charles over giving more significant roles to his two daughters.
The denial follows reports of mounting tension between the two men, including the allegation that Andrew had said any husbands of Eugenie and Beatrice should be awarded the aristocratic titles of earls.
“There is no truth to the story that there could be a split between the Prince of Wales and I over my daughters’ participation as members of the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement on Twitter.
“I cannot continue to stand by and have the media speculate on their futures based on my purported interventions, which are completely made up,” he said.
Andrew, the Duke of York, said his daughters’ royal engagements were “very much appreciated by my family” and that he wanted them to be “modern, working, young women, who happen to be members of the Royal Family”.
The two princesses have been heavily criticised by British tabloids for enjoying regular holidays.
Eugenie took eight holidays, including to Myanmar, over 15 months, ending with a New Year’s party in New York last year, the Daily Mail reported earlier.
Beatrice had 18 holidays over the same period including to Verbier, Abu Dhabi, Ibiza and Florida.
Prince Andrew’s statement came a month after Prince Harry blasted “abuse and harassment” by the media against his girlfriend, US actress Meghan Markle.
Harry also took issue with the “outright racism and sexism” on social media directed against Markle, best known for her role as Rachel Zane in the US television drama “Suits”.
