Sisters Prince Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will be absent from the royal family’s traditional church service this Easter.

The adult daughters of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson have reportedly made “alternative plans” for the holiday weekend, amid the continued fallout from their parents’ links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

British media is reporting the decision was made in consultation with the King.

The decision by Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, comes more than a month after their father, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He is also settling into his humble new home on the King’s Sandringham estate after being evicted from the historic Royal Lodge at Windsor.

Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson’s daughters have been drawn into the Epstein scandal because their names also appear in files recently released by the US Department of Justice.

According to the documents, Ferguson took her daughters, then aged 19 and 20, to visit Epstein in the US five days after he was released from prison for child sex crimes. The files also show that Mountbatten-Windsor sent photos of both girls to Epstein in 2010 and 2011.

The King and Queen will lead the extended royal family at this year’s official service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. They are expected to be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, who did not attend last year.

The service is traditionally considered a family event rather than an official royal engagement. Beatrice and Eugenie and their parents were both there last year.

However, this year’s decision comes after they were reportedly banned from joining the wider family at Royal Ascot in June. At the time, there were also reports that Prince William had advised other royals to avoid appearing in photographs with the York sisters “for the rest of the year”.

Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice with Prince William and wife Kate at the 2017 Easter church service. Photo: AAP

Both moves come as the scandal around Mountbatten-Windsor continues to dog the wider family.

Late last year, the King stripped him of all of his royal titles and his home of two decades. He and Ferguson had shared Royal Lodge for years, despite divorcing in the 1990s.

Last week, Ferguson lost her Freedom of the City of York title after councillors voted unanimously to remove it over her links to Epstein.

She and Mountbatten-Windsor were given the titles as a wedding present from the city during a visit in 1987, when they were Duke and Duchess of York.

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his title in 2022. At the time, councillors were told he was the first person to have it taken away.

The honorary freedom of the city is given to residents who demonstrate notable service, to distinguished people and to royalty, the council has said previously.

Six companies linked to Ferguson have started winding down following publication of the Epstein files, according to Companies House documents. Sarah’s Trust, a charity she founded, also announced it would close “for the foreseeable future”.

Earlier this month, Princess Eugenie quit as patron of charity Anti-Slavery International, a role she had held for seven years.

She and Beatrice are said to be distraught by the claims surrounding their parents, and are reportedly keeping their distance. British media reports neither sister has seen their father since his arrest on February 19, his 66th birthday.

Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing in his connections with Epstein.