UK royal family's dilemma over Andrew's daughters

Before war erupted in the Middle East, fisherman Peter Bruce spent about £5,000 ($6,600) on diesel to trawl the North Sea for haddock and cod, the main species used in fish and chips.

"Now, the last trip we spent about £10,000," he told AFP, despite his crew reducing the speed of the boat to save fuel.

Bruce, whose boat, Budding Rose, is based in the Scottish port of Peterhead, estimates the extra costs over a year could exceed £100,000.

It was not yet clear whether the rise in energy prices would have an immediate effect on the price of fish, Bruce said. But he is worried that the hike in fuel prices will hit customer demand for the classic British meal that was already facing challenges on numerous fronts.

Bruce's catch is sold at auction in Peterhead before being transported around Britain and abroad. He fears that customers "will stop buying so much fish and chips and they'll stop going out for meals so much".

- Classic dish -

The classic recipe for fish and chips -- white fish deep-fried in batter, chips, and mushy peas, often with tartare sauce on the side -- dates back to the 1860s. 

Fish and chip shops usually serve nothing else and most are take-away.

There were around 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK in 2024 -- roughly the same as a decade earlier -- according to Seafish, a public body supporting the industry. 

This was more than the total number of outlets of the nine main fastfood dining brands -- including KFC, McDonald's and Domino's Pizza, it boasted.

Easter is a particularly busy time for the sector since many Britons eat fish on the Good Friday holiday.

Andrew Crook, who owns a fish and chip shop in Lancashire, northwestern England, told AFP the number of customers can more than double on Good Fridays.

Nonetheless, "we're definitely under pressure," said Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Fryers.

He blamed several factors.

"We've got extremely high fish prices, we've got energy prices; wages go up continually," he lamented.

The war in the Middle East, now in its second month, caused a record monthly rise in petrol and diesel prices in the United Kingdom in March was caused by the conflict, according to data from the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), a British auto services company.

But there are other difficulties.

- Oil, fertiliser... -

Stricter fishing rules to conserve species, as well as the war in Ukraine -- Russia previously supplied 30 to 40 percent of the country's fish -- had weakened the sector in Britain already, says Crook, and forced it to raise prices.

Another concern is the soaring price of fertilisers and its impact on production of potatoes and oil seeds. Some 30 percent of the world's fertiliser normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is now almost closed.

Back in 2022, small businesses were worried about a shortage of sunflower oil, since Ukraine was the world's leading exporter of the seeds; now, they are increasingly concerned about the energy cost of heating their cooking oils.

Crook, who sells fish and chips for £11.45 ($15) per portion, said businesses are looking at options to avoid putting up prices, such as choosing less costly fish species like pollack from North America and South African hake, and reducing portions.

"We do try to cushion consumers," he said, adding that he does not want to raise his prices for now.

alb/alm-am/gv/tw

More than 50 years after humans first flew around the Moon, Artemis astronauts will repeat the feat on Monday and use the most basic instrument to study it: their eyes. 

Despite the technological advancements since the Apollo missions, NASA still relies on the eyesight of its astronauts to learn more about the Moon. 

"The human eye is basically the best camera that could ever or will ever exist," Kelsey Young, the lead scientist for the Artemis 2 mission, told AFP.

"The number of receptors in the human eye far outweighs what a camera is able to do." 

Although modern cameras may be superior to human eyesight in some respects, "the human eye is really good at color, and it's really good at context, and it's also really good at photometric observations," Young said.

Humans can understand how lighting changes surface details, like how angled lighting reveals texture but reduces visible color.

In just the blink of an eye, humans can detect a subtle color shift and understand how lighting changes the contours of a landscape like the Moon's surface, details which are scientifically useful but difficult to ascertain from photos or videos. 

Artemis 2 astronaut Victor Glover, who pilots the Orion spacecraft, said before liftoff this week that eyes were a "magical instrument."

- Field scientists -

To ensure they made the most of their proximity to the Moon, the four Artemis 2 crew members underwent more than two years of training.

Young said the goal was to turn the astronauts into "field scientists" via a combination of classroom lessons, geological expeditions to Iceland and Canada, and multiple simulated flybys of the Moon, just like the mission they are on.

The three American astronauts -- commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch -- along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, all had to memorize the Moon's "Big 15," or the 15 features of the Moon that will allow them to orient themselves.

Using an inflatable Moon globe, they practiced seeing how the angle of the sun changed the colors and textures of the lunar surface, honing their observation and note-taking skills for the big moment.

"I can tell you, they are excited and they are ready," Young said with a smile.

- 'About the size of a basketball' -

The Artemis astronauts' mission is to study certain lunar sites and phenomena as part of 10 objectives chosen by NASA and ranked in priority order based on scientific interest.

During the Moon flyby, which will last for several hours, the crew will have to observe the celestial body with their naked eyes, along with cameras they have on board.

Noah Petro, head of NASA's planetary geology lab, told AFP that the Moon will look to the astronauts "about the size of a basketball held at arm's length."

"The question I'm most interested in is, are they going to be able to see color on the lunar surface," Petro said.

"I don't mean rainbow colors, but you know, dark browns or tan colors because that tells us something about the composition, and that tells us something about the history of the Moon."

David Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute told AFP he is not expecting any earth-shattering discoveries because of the multiple lunar probes and high-resolution images of the Moon taken since the Apollo missions.

Nevertheless, "having astronauts describing what they're seeing... That is an occurrence that at least two generations of people on Earth have never heard before," he said.

The Artemis 2 flyby will be broadcast live by NASA, save for a period for when the spacecraft is behind the moon.

"Just listening to their practice descriptions in the mission simulations... It brings chills up my arms," Young said.

"I am absolutely confident that these four people are going to deliver some incredible descriptions."

cha/jgc/hol/lga

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a second airman downed inside Iran was "safe and sound" following a search and rescue operation.

"WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The Republican president wrote that he directed the US military to send "dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve" the airman.

"He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine," Trump wrote.

US media reported Friday that American special forces had rescued one of two crew members of a downed F-15, the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.

Trump confirmed the "successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday," adding it was not disclosed to avoid jeopardizing the second rescue mission.

"This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory," he wrote, adding that both operations were concluded "without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded."

bur-hol/fox

Three Indonesian peacekeepers killed in two separate explosions in southern Lebanon last week were laid to rest in their hometowns on Sunday.

Peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, died when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war.

Two other blue helmets, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, died a day later when an explosion struck a logistics convoy of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), also in southern Lebanon.

The deadly incidents sparked calls from Indonesian authorities for an investigation and security guarantees for peacekeeping forces. 

The soldiers were buried on Sunday in coffins draped in the Indonesian flag during military funerals with gun salutes. 

Weeping family members scattered flower petals on their graves. 

Zulmi was buried in a military cemetery in his hometown in Bandung, West Java, while Ichwan and Farizal were laid to rest in their respective hometowns in Central Java and Yogyakarta.

"I'm letting him go proudly. I accept it sincerely, even though it is not what I had hoped as a parent," Zulmi's father Iskandarudin told reporters after the funeral.

"I am certain that he's waiting for me in heaven."

Agus Subiyanto, the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, told reporters that every fallen soldier will receive compensation in recognition of their service.

"We have prepared all the rights and entitlements that must be given to the fallen soldiers. Among these is compensation from the United Nations," Agus said after attending Zulmi’s funeral.

The bodies of the three peacekeepers arrived in Jakarta on Saturday, received with honours in a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto.

Prabowo said on Instagram that Indonesians "strongly condemn every heinous act that undermines peace and causes the deaths of our nation's soldiers".

Less than a week after the explosions that killed the three peacekeepers, another blast took place at a UN facility near El Adeisse on Friday, injuring three more Indonesian blue helmets.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry called the attacks "unacceptable" and urged the UN Security Council "to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL".

Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians only has one name, told reporters on Saturday that Indonesia wanted a thorough UN investigation, and demanded better security guarantees for peacekeeping soldiers.

str-dsa/mlr/ceg

The University of Connecticut, with another key three-pointer from Braylon Mullins, beat the University of Illinois 71-62 on Saturday to reach the final of the NCAA collegiate basketball tournament.

The Huskies will be chasing their third title in four years when they take on the University of Michigan in the championship game on Monday.

Michigan dominated the University of Arizona 91-73 in the second semi-final at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

Connecticut are seeking their seventh title and their third under coach Dan Hurley, who guided them to the prestigious crown in the tournament dubbed "March Madness" in 2023 and 2024.

Freshman Mullins drilled a clutch three-pointer in the final minute to help the Huskies fend off a late charge by the Fighting Illini, who closed within four with a minute to play.

Mullins, who grew up in Indiana, made his only basket of the second half for a 66-59 lead with 52 seconds left to play to help seal the win.

The 19-year-old -- who had come through with a buzzer-beating three-pointer in Connecticut's Elite Eight victory over Duke -- finished with 15 points to complement a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double from Tarris Reed Jr.

Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Illinois, who were back in the Final Four for the first time since falling to North Carolina in the championship game in 2005.

The clash of Midwest top seeds Michigan and West top seeds Arizona had been touted as the game of the tournament, but the Wolverines turned it into a blowout.

Third-year center Aday Mara scored 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds and Michigan built a double-digit lead less than six minutes into the contest.

Koa Peat scored 16 points with 11 rebounds to lead Arizona, who trailed 48-32 by halftime.

Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg scored 11 points in just 14 minutes on the floor as he was limited by knee and ankle injuries. But he vowed to play on Monday.

"I'm gonna push through," he told broadcaster TNT after the game. "There's no way I'm missing the game on Monday night."

bb/mtp

Medicines can stop pain, fight cancer and save lives but are worthless if they get lost in the mail, spoil in a hot warehouse or are stuck on a ship. 

This is where pharmaceutical logistics comes in -- a fast-growing sector in a world where key supply chains have been shaken by war, pandemic and trade chaos.

One of its European hubs is what Germany's DHL calls its health logistics campus near Frankfurt, dedicated to ensuring drugs and other crucial medical products reliably get to where they're needed.

As fears of medicine shortages grow amid the five-week-old Middle East war, its task is to ensure steady shipments to hospitals, pharmacies, labs and other customers across Europe and worldwide.

The company's facility -- the size of 14 football fields, with its roofs covered in solar panels -- is located in Florstadt outside Frankfurt, itself a transport centre in the middle of Europe. 

Products passing through the giant site range from insulin capsules and lifestyle drugs to medicated sunblock and drums of sulphuric acid.

Strict temperature controls and workers in protective suits ensure that medicines are handled under sterile conditions and in guaranteed cold chains.

"Our 600 employees are specially trained because they know that, ultimately, the patient is at the end of the supply chain and no errors are allowed," said Katrin Hoelter, head of DHL's logistics division in Germany and the Alpine countries.

As the US-Israeli war against Iran has impacted global shipping, "we are seeing that some customers are requesting increased storage volumes here, which are essential for their production, in order to ensure the availability of raw materials", she told AFP during a visit to the site.

- Super-cold storage -

The fragility of global supply chains remains a constant concern, even though Hoelter said the Florstadt site is less dependent on shipping through the troubled Strait of Hormuz than on the Suez Canal, which remains open.

Despite repeated global crises, the logistics sector continues to expand, as does the drug industry.

According to healthcare data analytics firm Iqvia, the global pharmaceutical market could exceed $2.6 trillion by 2030, driven by the United States as well as major emerging markets.

In the therapeutics sector, cancer and weight management treatments show the highest growth prospects, according to the LBBW bank.

For the DHL Group, also known as Deutsche Post, the logistics business -- particularly in the pharma sector -- is helping to offset losses from the decline in mail and disruptions to trade caused by conflict and tariff wars.

In Florstadt, automated procedures coexist with manual handling at fixed workstations, such as preparing a single contact lens ordered by an optician for a specific patient for further shipping.

Strict safety and hygiene standards are key. Behind the glass of a sterile room, two employees in full protective suits could be seen extracting an insulin component from a large vat to send a test sample to a customer.

"We are able to simulate any regulatory requirements here," said Hoelter. 

"This covers all possible temperature ranges," she said, adding that they can be dropped "as low as minus 80 degrees (Celsius) to account for the varying sensitivities of individual products".

- US investment rush -

The first warehouse at the site opened in 2015, dedicated to distributing medications from a laboratory of the pharmaceuticals firm STADA.

It has since grown into a four-building complex with storage capacity for 140,000 pallets and room for more.

DHL plans to invest two billion euros ($2.3 billion) worldwide by 2030 in pharmaceutical logistics, about a quarter of it in Europe.

Half will go to North America, mainly the United States, where European drugmakers are relocating some production in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs and his efforts to lower drug prices.

In five years, the DHL division's revenue is expected to double, reaching 10 billion euros, compared to 84 billion euros for the group last year.

Hoelter said this growth reflects a broader trend among drugs companies to outsource logistics and other work, so that they can "focus on their core businesses: pharmaceutical research and production".

jpl/bst/fz/giv/lga

Lauren Coughlin fired a one-over-par 73 to emerge from another testing day at Shadow Creek with a two-stroke lead over Nelly Korda in the LPGA Aramco Championship.

Swirling, sometimes gusty winds again pushed up scores on Saturday on the demanding course in Las Vegas, Nevada, where only eight players recorded rounds under par.

That included world number two Korda, who had four birdies and a bogey in her three-under 69.

Coughlin, who started the day with a five-shot lead, bogeyed the third and sixth holes but was back to even for the day after birdies at the seventh and 11th.

Her advantage dwindled with back-to-back bogeys at 13 and 14 and she arrived at the par-five 18th -- one of the hardest holes on the course on the day -- just one in front of Korda.

Her approach raced through the green into a greenside bunker and her shot out rolled past the hole, but Coughlin made her birdie putt coming back to give herself a two-shot cushion with a seven-under total of 209.

"This golf course is really, really hard, especially if you get in the wrong spot," Coughlin said. "I felt like I did a pretty good job of at least getting in spots, and if I did get a little out, making sure I walked away with no worse than bogey.

"It's going to be really hard tomorrow, so just going to see how it goes," said the American.

Korda will play in the final group on Sunday for a third straight week. Her three-under effort included birdies at the third and fourth and, after a bogey at 15, impressive back-to-back birdies at the par-three 17th and the 18th.

Korda, five-under through 54 holes, also said patience was key in a round that saw long waits on several tees as players struggled to cope in the conditions.

"Shadow Creek definitely showed its colors today," she said. "It's been playing brutally hard, especially the back nine. There was, like ,a four-group wait on a par-three -- it was hard to stop golf balls for us."

The challenge has drawn comparisons to major championship golf.

In fact, the tournament co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour is part of the Saudi-backed Global Series and features a total purse of $4 million with a $600,000 winner's prize.

It has drawn a field featuring every player in the top 20.

Denmark's Nana Koerstz Madsen and Japan's 2025 LPGA Rookie of the Year Miyu Yamashita both shot 71 to share third place on three-under.

Ireland's Leona Maguire, who started the day tied for second, was alone on one-under after a two-over 74.

South Korean Kim Hyo-joo, coming off back-to-back wins at the Founders Cup and the Ford Championship, started the day tied with Maguire but endured a nightmare day, carding a seven-over par 79 to slide to a share of 17th.

bb/rcw

Lionel Messi marked the opening of Inter Miami's gleaming new stadium with a goal as the Major League Soccer champions battled to a 2-2 draw against Austin FC on Saturday.

Inter Miami's co-owner David Beckham was among the star-studded crowd as the club's 26,000-capacity Nu Stadium made its debut, marking the end of a more-than-decade-long journey to find a permanent home.

"To see this stadium come to life, after years and years of trying to get this stadium up and running in Miami is something that's very special," Beckham said shortly before kick-off.

"I came to America in the MLS 20 years ago and I made a lot of promises. And 13 years ago I made a lot of promises again announcing I was coming to Miami.

"Today it's just a dream come true for us."

But while the match kicked off in celebratory fashion, with Beckham joining billionaire Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas in a pre-game ribbon-cutting ceremony, Austin refused to follow the script.

The Texas club, who went into the game with only one win from five matches, had stunned the home crowd after only six minutes, with Guilherme Biro nodding in a corner from Facundo Torres to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

Messi though did not take long to open his account in his new surroundings.

Right-back Ian Fray burst down the flank and crossed for Messi, who equalized with a rare headed goal to make it 1-1.

Inter Miami dominated possession thereafter and carved out a string of chances, with Mateo Silvetti twice going close with a shot in the 34th minute before heading wide four minutes later.

But Austin's dogged defence and speed on the counter continued to pose problems for the hosts, and they once again took the lead after 53 minutes.

Messi was dispossessed deep in the Austin half by Joseph Rosales, who released Myrto Uzuni, who in turn sent substitute Jayden Nelson clean through on goal to score.

With Miami increasingly desperate, coach Javier Mascherano sent on veteran striker Luis Suarez in the 73rd minute.

The Uruguayan duly delivered eight minutes later, prodding home from close range after a Messi corner was flicked on by German Berterame in the Austin defence.

Suarez thought he had scored a dramatic winner when he finished from close range after Messi's free-kick came back off the woodwork, but was ruled out for offside.

rcw/bb

Samira Muhammadi hopes an international investigation can "extinguish" her pain after a Pakistani bombing killed her son and hundreds of other Afghans in the capital Kabul last month. 

The March 16 attack hit a drug treatment centre and killed 411 people, according to Afghan officials. 

A United Nations source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said they had verified at least 250 killed, with more still missing.

"There should be investigations on this... Like me, many mothers lost their sons, many women lost their husbands and many sisters lost their brothers," Muhammadi, 43, said at her home, where she scrolled through photos of her eldest son.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have been locked in an escalating conflict over claims from Islamabad that Kabul is harbouring militants responsible for cross-border attacks, which the Taliban government denies.

Pakistan has maintained it struck a military installation and did not respond to AFP questions about a possible probe into the deadly Kabul bombing.

AFP journalists at the scene in the hours after the attack saw dozens of bodies, including some that had been torn apart and burned.

The force of the blast made it difficult to identify some of the victims, the Norwegian Refugee Council, a humanitarian NGO, said shortly after visiting the site.

Muhammadi's 20-year-old son, Aref Khan, had become addicted to methamphetamine while working at a slaughterhouse in Iran alongside his mother.

"His coworkers told him the drug would help him stay awake," she said.

The family returned to Afghanistan a few months ago and tried to build a life in Kabul, with Khan working as a day labourer while Muhammadi found employment as a domestic cleaner.

But Afghan authorities had her son admitted to the "Camp Omid" rehabilitation centre in eastern Kabul to deal with his addiction.

"I sat with him and recorded a video of him, and he was having his food," recounted Muhammadi, who had brought her son supplies just hours before the attack.

"Usually, when there is a war, the military places are targeted or hit, so why did they (Pakistan) hit the hospital?" she said.

- Little chance of prosecutions -

Seventeen international humanitarian NGOs, including War Child UK, condemned the bombing, noting that hospitals must not be attacked.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have called for an independent investigation.

The latter said those responsible should be "held to account in line with international standards".

The Taliban government told AFP that it has given media, diplomats and NGOs access to the site and has "shared the evidence".

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on Afghanistan, told AFP: "The initial responsibility actually falls on the alleged perpetrator of human rights violations, which is Pakistan."

Kenneth Roth, a visiting professor at Princeton University in the United States, said he "would hope that Pakistan would want to know what went wrong" after "many innocent people died". 

States are generally reluctant to question themselves, but "even the Pentagon investigates why it struck and killed so many children in a school in Iran", said Roth, a longtime former Human Rights Watch executive director.

Several victims' relatives said they would have more confidence in an investigation from international institutions.

The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has a mandate to investigate the impact of the conflict on civilians in the country and, therefore, the bombing.

"This process can take some time, especially in mass casualty events such as this one, and is ongoing," the agency told AFP, adding that it relies on sources including witnesses and doctors, as well as examinations of affected sites.

If it was found to be "an intentional or reckless attack on civilians, this attack could clearly lead to criminal charges", Roth told AFP.

While UNAMA does not have the power to press charges, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in Afghanistan, and can pursue even nationals from non-member states. But it tends to look at patterns rather than individual incidents.

"So even though there was one very unfortunate alleged crime, I don't think it would prosecute that without a pattern of misconduct," Roth said, referring to the ICC.

No one has been convicted internationally for recent strikes on health facilities in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan or Myanmar.

"The lack of prosecutions encourages these war crimes," said Roth.

In Kabul, Muhammadi remained determined to seek justice despite the uphill struggle.

To "investigate why a 20-year-old, who had been taken to the hospital for treatment, was killed and burnt," she said. 

"If we do not ask about this now, we will probably experience the same harm again." 

iw-nl/qb/rsc/lga

The downfall of the former prince Andrew has left the British monarchy with a right royal headache -- how to handle his daughters caught up in the scandal of US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The uncertain future of princesses Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 36, the children of Andrew -- now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor -- and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has filled the British press in recent weeks.

Andrew, the second of the late queen Elizabeth II's three sons and brother to King Charles III, was arrested in mid-February amid new revelations of his ties to the late billionaire Epstein. 

He was questioned for hours at a police station on suspicion of misconduct in public office during his decade-long role as a UK trade envoy. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing, and has not been charged, but remains under police caution.

"We can now also confirm that we are providing early investigative advice to Thames Valley Police in relation to" Mountbatten-Windsor, prosecutors told AFP on Thursday.

Andrew was stripped of his royal titles in October by the king amid the growing scandal around Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

And while his daughters are not active members of the royal family, Buckingham Palace has made it clear they retain their titles as princesses.

They have always been seen as close to the king's two sons, heir Prince William and Prince Harry, and were part of the royal family's inner circle.

In December, they attended the family's traditional Christmas church service on the eastern Sandringham estate even though their parents were not invited.

But the two women and their young families would not be at Windsor this weekend for the traditional Easter gathering, a royal source confirmed to AFP.

The two had made alternative plans, but will be seen at future family celebrations, the source added.

"They want to avoid any association with them, as the York brand has become toxic," said royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.

New emails released in January showed Andrew remained in contact with Epstein long after the American's conviction for trafficking and sex with a minor.

He also appeared to have shared sensitive UK information with Epstein such as trade documents.

The documents also revealed the extent of the ties between Epstein and Ferguson, with the princesses' names appearing in numerous emails, although there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by them.

- 'Elite network' - 

In one of the documents, Epstein writes that "Ferg and the two girls" came to visit him, less than a week after he was freed from prison in 2009, following a conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

In light of these new revelations "hard questions will need to be asked", said royal expert Ed Owens.

"If it is shown that they have benefited from an elite network, that was partially introduced to them by Jeffrey Epstein... this is problematic," said Owens.

Andrew biographer Andrew Lownie said he believed the sisters are "deeply implicated" rather than "collateral damage", highlighting a 2010 incident in which Fergie was secretly filmed by a tabloid selling access to Andrew.

"This was a family business. The girls were taken on these taxpayer-funded trips," he said.

"They've built up a very useful contact book which they are exploiting to this day."

Both women have successful careers. Beatrice was vice president of strategic partnerships at Afiniti, an AI technology company, for a decade, and has now set up her own advisory group.

Eugenie is a director at Hauser & Wirth contemporary art gallery in London. But last month she quit her role as a patron for the Anti-Slavery International charity.

Both Lownie and Owens believe the royal family must distance itself from the two women.

Their hybrid status "one foot in the monarchy, one foot out" endangers the entire Windsor family, said Owens.

Fitzwilliams added: "We don't know what might come up next. There might be new scandals".

Lownie agreed. "There are scandals still in their cupboard" waiting to be exposed, he said.

adm/har-jkb/am/pdw/lga