‘I Can’t Stay Silent Anymore’: Eugenie Reveals the Real Reason She and Beatrice Were Missing from Princess Catherine’s Christmas Service — and It’s Not What Anyone Expected

Princess Eugenie shared an unexpected message after she and her sister, Princess Beatrice, missed Kate Middleton‘s “Together at Christmas” carol service.

The Princess of Wales, 43, held her fifth annual Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey in London on Dec. 5. While many members of the royal family were among the guests, Prince William‘s cousins Beatrice and Eugenie didn’t attend as they have in years past.

PEOPLE understands that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were invited to the Christmas service in early autumn, but they were unable to attend due to other commitments.

In a message posted to her Instagram Stories following the big event on Friday, Princess Eugenie, 35, said that she wished she and her sister could have been there.

“Wish Bea and I could have been celebrating tonight with our family,” Eugenie wrote on her Instagram Stories, using an affectionate nickname for Princess Beatrice, 37.

“Wishing @princeandprincessofwales such a special evening at her incredible carol service,” she said, tagging the official Instagram handle that Prince William and Princess Kate share. “What an amazing message of love and hope.”

Eugenie shared the message over a photo of a program from the carol service perched on a branch of a Christmas tree, resharing the shot from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram Stories.

Princess Kate’s “Together at Christmas” service was attended by several members of the royal family, including her husband, their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Zara Tindall, Mike Tindall and more.

Both Eugenie and Beatrice have attended the annual event in the past.

Until now, Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, had gone to the Christmas carol service every year since Princess Kate launched the event in 2021. In 2023 and 2024, the couple made it a family night out by bringing Christopher Woolf, 9, Edo’s son from a previous relationship.

Meanwhile, Princess Eugenie went to the carol service in 2021, 2022 and 2023, attending with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, three years ago.

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice’s father, the former Prince Andrew, made news in October when he announced that he was discontinuing use of his princely title and honors. The announcement came amid renewed scrutiny around the extent of Andrew’s connection to the late Jeffrey Epstein, his relationship with whom set his step back from his royal role in motion in 2019.

On Oct. 30, King Charles announced that he officially launched the process of removing Andrew’s royal style, titles and honors in a transition made official via a Letters Patent released on Nov. 3.

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! 

As part of the process, Andrew has been ordered to surrender his lease at Royal Lodge, his longtime home in Windsor, and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will no longer use her Duchess of York title.

Amid the initial Oct. 17 announcement that the King was removing Andrew’s titles, PEOPLE understood that Beatrice and Eugenie’s royal status remained wholly unaffected.

As the daughters of a son of the late Queen Elizabeth, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie retain their titles in accordance with King George V’s Letters Patent of 1917.  The sisters remain princesses and continue to hold the styling of Her Royal Highness.