Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice Are 'Locked in a Power Battle' as They Distance Themselves From Meghan Markle and Their Parents, Source Claims

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice are "locked in a power battle."

Insider sources revealed that the sisters are attempting to distance themselves from their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, as well as Meghan Markle.

Eugenie, 36, and Beatrice, 38, have reportedly attempted to avoid royal controversy as they establish stability for their families, and that may mean cutting people out.

"Beatrice and Eugenie both want to put some distance between themselves and their parents, and now they're doing the same with each other," a source told The Daily Star.

The insider noted that the sisters' constant ties to one another could also create a negative perception, so they chose to create distance there as well.

"They love each other dearly, of course, but they've realized that always being seen as a package deal hasn't necessarily helped them, so they're going their separate ways," they added.

The move comes as Beatrice and Eugenie allegedly believe there is "a lot at stake" for their standing in the royal family.

"They are both fighting to hang on to their place within the monarchy and that pressure has definitely got them feeling competitive," the insider noted.

Despite their methodical plan for social survival, both women have several backup plans to keep their families and young children above water should it all come tumbling down.

"[They are working] to line up opportunities to keep them afloat should the worst-case scenario happen," the source added.

The women allegedly began to grow apart in early October when Eugenie's name was in the press with Meghan's after a book the Duchess gave her was listed on eBay.

The Bench, a children's book authored by Meghan, had an asking price of $26,000, though the listing has since been removed from the auction site.

As OK! previously reported, Beatrice found herself embroiled in turmoil of her own amid her 38th birthday celebration, after her family's names were mentioned in the U.S. State Department's Jeffrey Epstein files.

"The past year has been extraordinarily challenging for Beatrice because she has repeatedly found herself dealing with the fallout from events that she had no control over," a source explained. "Whatever difficulties surround her parents, they're still her mother and father, so naturally she feels the impact when the family is subjected to another wave of scrutiny."

"It's been one thing after another, and there has barely been an opportunity for the attention surrounding the York family to settle before something else has brought it back into the headlines," they added. "Beatrice has had to watch intensely personal and uncomfortable matters involving her family being picked apart publicly, while knowing there is very little she can personally do to change the situation."