The fifth and sixth in line to the throne, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are the daughters of the divorced Prince Andrew and Duchess of York. Despite the disintegration of their marriage the Duke and Duchess of York have maintained very close relations and have continued to live together in their large house in Sunninghill Park and, latterly, in Royal Lodge, Windsor.

The Queen is close to her two granddaughters, and has made great efforts to integrate them into royal family life - front row appearances on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, summer holidays in Scotland and so on. But she is also determined that in the future the monarchy will be more streamlined, with royal duties being performed by 'core members'.

Prince Andrew is said to want to raise his daughter's royal profile, but is also anxious to protect their privacy, which inevitably involves providing royal protection officers at the expense of the taxpayer.

The Queen is faced with a difficult juggling act: her natural loyalty to her granddaughters has to be set against increasing constraints in the royal budget. In addition, their mother the Duchess of York, now stands well outside royal circles (she was not invited to William and Catherine's wedding in April 2011), which can cause difficulties for both Prince Andrew and his daughters.

In the menatime, Princess Beatrice has now graduated from Goldsmiths College, and is planning to undertake some internships, while her younger sister Princess Eugenie is studying Art History, English Literature and Politics at Newcastle University.

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