Princess Beatrice's birthday highlights tensions within royal family

Princess Beatrice, the elder daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, turned 37 on Friday, celebrating her birthday without public congratulations from senior members of the royal family.

Beatrice is a granddaughter of King Charles III and a cousin to Prince William, the heir to the throne. 

She is also close to other senior royals, including her cousin Prince Harry. 

The princess married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a property developer, in July 2020 in a private ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The couple welcomed their daughter, Sienna, in 2021.

Her birthday arrives as her parents face renewed media attention over the forthcoming book The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which examines controversies surrounding Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York. 

Andrew remains under public scrutiny for his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite settling a civil case with Virginia Giuffre without admitting liability.

Royal watchers have noted that, as of Friday evening, no senior member of the royal family had publicly extended birthday wishes to Beatrice, a silence likely to fuel further speculation about tensions within the monarchy.