Andrew Mountbatten Windsor — who was known as Prince Andrew — contacted disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after the paedophile was released from prison, it has emerged

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie "have been left bereft" by the scandal surrounding Andrew — but just as much for their mother as their father.

The siblings have "grave concerns" for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, 65, after he was stripped of his titles. These are so deep Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, are said to have supported their dad amid the furore, which increased on Friday when it emerged he had told disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein it would be "good to catch up in person" months after the paedophile was released from prison.

This bombshell came just weeks after it emerged Sarah Ferguson — no longer known as Sarah, Duchess of York — also emailed Epstein, apologising for calling him "the P word" in an interview distancing herself from him in 2011. As a result, Beatrice and Eugenie are actually said to be "more disappointed in their mother" than Andrew right now.

An insider said: "Beatrice and Eugenie are lovely girls and they have been left bereft by this all. I would actually go so far as to say that they are even more disappointed in their mother than their father now.

"They are genuinely fearful for their father and have grave concerns about what he will do for the rest of his life. They also love their mother dearly, of course they do. She's a wonderful grandmother, too, and they are deeply concerned about how this is all affecting her mentally as much as their father. But I think it's fair to say the scales have also somewhat fallen from their eyes."

The Daily Mail reports how Eugenie, now a mother of two, described her relationship with her sister and mum as "a tripod" in an interview in 2008. However, the family friend told the publication this week: "The tripod has collapsed. Obviously they will continue to support their parents, but they feel so let down."

Andrew strongly denies any wrongdoing. Sarah, who will now have to look for her own home having shared Royal Lodge with her ex-husband for decades, allegedly only wrote the email on "legal" advice after being threatened by Epstein.

But her daughters are said to have been embarrassed by the revelations. Eugenie, for instance, has diligently worked to highlight the plight of modern day trafficking with her charity The Anti-Slavery Collective.

Andrew is understood to be "sanguine" about the dramatic change in his circumstances. Sources close to the former prince claimed Andrew had "always done what has been demanded of him by the Royal household", stressing that he had never criticised his brother either in public or in private.

Fergie, though, having always been Andrew's "public defender and saviour", is said to be moving abroad at least while the fallout rumbles on. Speaking about the 66-year-old author, the insider said: "It's not just a question of her finances now, but her personal dealings with a serial sexual predator (Epstein) – and her willingness to lie about them."

The writer has lost work with ITV, for which she was a guest presenter on This Morning and Loose Women in recent years. Fergie started there weeks after Holly Willoughby found out she was at the centre of a bizarre plot by former security guard Gavin Plumb to kidnap, rape and murder her.