Once a vibrant presence in London’s elite circles, Princess Beatrice often graced private members’ clubs, fashion shows, and charity balls, always surrounded by her closest friends and family. However, the landscape of her social life has shifted significantly in recent times.

The House of York has endured a tarnishing of its reputation, especially after the involvement of Beatrice’s parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, with the infamous financier Jeffrey Epstein came to light. In light of these controversies, it’s understandable that Beatrice has chosen to step back from the public eye.

Her personal relationships have also seen changes. Her husband, Edo Mapelli Mozzi, spends considerable time in the United States due to work commitments. Meanwhile, her father, Andrew, remains isolated from public life, and her mother, Sarah, seeks comfort abroad. Her sister, Eugenie, is preoccupied with preparing for the arrival of her third child.

Edo, a property developer, was spotted recently in Palm Beach, Florida, attending a breakfast meeting focused on design in hospitality spaces. His frequent trips to the U.S. have raised questions, as he also visited just weeks before his father-in-law’s arrest. The duration of his current trip remains unknown.

Amidst swirling rumors of marital strife, Beatrice and Edo were seen together for the first time in weeks at Poppy Delevingne’s 40th birthday celebration on May 7. Their appearance aimed to project a united front, dispelling speculation about the impact of the Epstein scandal on their relationship.

As they arrived at Hart Pub in London, Beatrice, dressed in a suede trench coat, strode ahead of Edo, wearing a neutral facial expression.

Her plain demeanour was in stark contrast to her sister, Princess Eugenie, who held a beaming smile as she proudly showed off her visible pregnancy bump while holding hands with her husband, Jack Brooksbank.

Sporting a shiny, bright blue coat over her outfit – which also featured a black satin shirt with white polka dots – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s daughter looked to be in good spirits.

Beatrice and Poppy share a close friendship that spans several years and are frequently photographed at celebratory occasions together – perhaps helping to explain for the model’s apparent olive branch offering to the estranged princess.

However, there have been rumblings of a distance surfacing with her other celebrity friendships.

She was once a fixture on the London scene, enjoying nights out at private members’ clubs, attending fashion shows, charity balls and other high-profile events with her nearest and dearest – but much of that has changed for Princess Beatrice (pictured on May 7)

Beatrice’s downcast demeanour was in stark contrast to her sister, Princess Eugenie, who held a beaming smile as she proudly showed off her visible pregnancy bump while holding hands with her husband, Jack Brooksbank

Last week, at her friend Olivia Buckingham’s baby shower, also attended by Poppy Delevingne and Nicky Hilton, Beatrice was nowhere to be seen in the carousel of images shared to Instagram – though Hello reported that the princess was present.

Beatrice’s new way of living was summed up last week when she was spotted loading her designer luggage into the back of a cab, without the help of friends or family, her destination unknown.

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The princess, dressed in a floral dress and black blazer, carried her personalised £2,710 Horizon 55 Monogram Louis Vuitton suitcase to a waiting taxi.

And when Eugenie and her husband Jack celebrated his 40th birthday days later, Beatrice attended the lunch at Soho Mews House without her other half. 

Celebrations, meanwhile, continued for the birthday boy and his wife with dinner at the exclusive Notting Hill restaurant Dorian later that evening.

It comes after Sarah Ferguson broke cover in Austria last month. The disgraced former royal, 66, is urgently seeking refuge with friends after her luxury £2,000-a-night apartment at the Mayerlife wellness spa in Altaussee, near Salzburg, Austria, was compromised when photos of her nearby were published last month.

According to sources, Ferguson barely left her first-floor two-bedroom chalet overlooking the stunningly beautiful lake since checking in nearly a month ago, and was never seen on the large balcony.

She ordered all her meals via room service – bresaola beef with mozzarella was a favourite, as was chicken breast.

She was never seen on the resort’s walking trails, or down by the lake, or at its clay tennis courts. Her contact with the outside world was kept to a bare minimum, though she had her hair done on March 24 by a visiting stylist.

Sources close to Fergie say that she remains in constant touch with her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, on the phone, while both of them have been increasingly concerned over her mental health. 

Beatrice and Poppy share a close friendship that spans several years and are frequently photographed at celebratory occasions together – perhaps helping to explain for the model’s apparent olive branch offering to the estranged princess

Beatrice’s new way of living was summed up last week when she was spotted loading her designer luggage into the back of a cab, without the help of friends or family, her destination unknown

Edo Mapelli Mozzi (pictured left) was spotted at a work breakfast in Palm Beach, Florida, last week

Despite the mounting pressure on her, friends describe a woman who is tired but not broken. ‘She just wants a door that doesn’t open for strangers,’ a source said. ‘That’s all it is. She wants to breathe.’

The King’s household has made plain for some time that the duchess is no longer part of official royal life. She is not invited to Sandringham or Balmoral and will never appear on the Palace balcony again.

Charles is said to be still fond of his nieces despite the astonishing downfall of their father in recent years, and will permit them to attend royal events in future.

It is believed that neither Beatrice nor Eugenie have visited Andrew, 66, during his exile in Sandringham.

In Connecticut, supporters of the Second Amendment are raising concerns about a proposed legislative measure they believe could restrict self-defense capabilities. They also fear that Democrats might pursue broader gun restrictions in the future.

Democrats in Connecticut have introduced a bill that aims to prohibit most Glock-style pistols capable of being modified into machine guns. The focus is on semiautomatic pistols equipped with a cruciform trigger bar, which can be easily altered with basic tools to incorporate a converter device, allowing the firearm to fire automatically.

Holly Sullivan, President of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, expressed to Fox News Digital her disapproval, stating that Democrats in the state have opted to target law-abiding gun owners rather than addressing criminal activities through this legislation.

On March 25, 2020, semi-automatic handguns were showcased at a gun store in New Castle, Pennsylvania. (Keith Srakocic/AP)

“They are not addressing the problem of criminals who violate laws,” Sullivan commented. “Instead, they are focusing on law-abiding Americans who own widely-used handguns. Rather than tackling the criminal aspect, they are choosing to eliminate one of the nation’s most favored handguns.”

“Connecticut likes to tout that we have some of the strongest gun laws in America, yet they don’t seem to know how to deal with criminals that are actually in violation of those laws,” she said.

A machine gun conversion device for a Glock handgun can convert the firearm into a machine gun after the switch is installed. The device can be made with a 3-D printer. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)

Sullivan said she’s concerned Democrats won’t stop with banning most Glock-style pistols, and will go even further.

“For anybody who doesn’t live in a deep blue state like this, I hope the message is resonated that they’re never satisfied, whether they come for the rifles or they come for the Glocks, what is after that, we don’t know.” Sullivan said. “They don’t want their constituents to have firearms and they don’t how to deal with the criminals that are misusing them.“

The bill was raised by Democrats Wednesday morning within the 3 a.m. hour, and passed shortly after, according to News 8. Democrat Cathy Osten was the only member of her party who joined Republicans in their attempt to block the bill.

NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford told Fox News Digital that the bill creates “barriers to their right to self-defense.”

“And all it does is reduces the options that law-abiding gun owners have to protect themselves and their families. As we know, when seconds count, the police are minutes away. So taking away self-defense options for law-abiding residents of Connecticut is never the answer. The answer is holding criminals accountable for their actions, prosecuting them, and making sure they stay behind bars when they have been convicted,” Commerford said.

Proponents of the bill claim its aim is to close loopholes that allow Glock-style pistols to be converted into machine guns.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont speaks at a COVID-19 community vaccination clinic in Stamford, Conn., on March 14, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

“The legislation is keeping up with the technology and as the technology evolves, this law is going to cover that for closing a lot of loopholes, for ghost guns, as well as keeping machine guns off our streets,” Earl Bloodworth with Connecticut Against Gun Violence told WFSB. “Every time a ‘switch’ turns a handgun into a machine gun, the heartbeat of a community quickens with fear. For too long, we have watched technology outpace our laws while families pay the price in grief and trauma that never truly heals.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chris Stone, director of State and Local Affairs for Gun Owners of America, said the bill “does nothing to stop criminals, who already illegally possess machine guns and conversion devices in violation of federal law.”

“Instead, it punishes law-abiding manufacturers, retailers, and Connecticut gun owners by targeting firearms in common use for self-defense, precisely the type of arms protected by the Second Amendment,” he said.

The bill is now headed to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk and will go into law if he signs it.

Fox News Digital reached out to Lamont’s office and Glock for comment.

Joel Embiid has expressed his suspicion over the officiating in the Philadelphia 76ers’ recent playoff defeat.

Following a 108-94 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the second-round series, the star center remarked, “I guess it’s good when New York wins,” after observing that the Knicks were awarded double the number of free throw attempts compared to the 76ers.

The game, noted for its physicality, saw the Knicks achieve a season-high with 32 free throw attempts, while Philadelphia recorded a season-low with just 16 attempts.

Embiid commented on the disparity, saying, “Maybe some potential fouls were overlooked. They had 32 free throws, and we only got 16. We’re not a team that relies heavily on three-pointers. We attack, we drive. I don’t know what happened.”

He continued, “I guess it’s beneficial when New York comes out on top, so we need to focus on playing smarter, avoiding fouls, and not letting them capitalize on those opportunities.”

The 76ers find themselves in a 3-0 hole and Embiid’s frustrations seemingly are boiling over after Philadelphia missed a chance to make this a series Friday night.

Philadelphia attempted more free throws in the first two games — 62 to 42, including a 34-17 edge in Game 1 — but did not receive the same advantage in what could have been billed a must-win.

The Knicks’ high free throw attempt total was boosted by Mitchell Robinson’s eight attempts with the 76ers employing the Hack-a-Mitch strategy, but even if one were to exclude those from the Knicks’ total, they still would have finished with 50 percent more tries than Philadelphia.

Jalen Brunson, who has attempted at least eight free throws in all three games and 25 total, had more than half of Philadelphia’s total with his nine attempts.

Emibiid, who had attempted at least seven free throws in each of his five postseason games entering Friday, only had four tries in his 18-point, six-rebound performance.

Both Embiid and Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns — who played just 26 minutes due to five fouls — showed frustration with the whistle during the game.

Early in the first quarter, both Embiid and Towns fell to the ground while fighting for a rebound and Embiid could not believe the referees did not call a foul on the Knicks’ big man.

He then fouled Towns on the other end and demonstratively yelled at the referees.

Embiid was also surprised after being called for a moving screen in the second quarter while Landry Shamet ran through him with the Knicks ahead by 11.

One particular play that enraged the 76ers — and particularly their fans — came late in the third quarter a critical juncture.

After Philadelphia sliced the deficit to 80-76 with less than 50 seconds remaining, the referees called Quentin Grimes for a questionable foul on Brunson, who embellished the contact.

In a troubling development, more women have stepped forward with allegations against a pair of luxury real estate agents, accusing them of drugging and sexually assaulting victims during extravagant, champagne-laden work events.

According to exclusive information obtained by the Daily Mail, four additional women have initiated legal proceedings over the past month against realtors David Golden and Michael Bjorkman. This brings the total number of women pursuing civil litigation for alleged sexual assault by the duo to nine.

At the time of these alleged incidents, Golden and Bjorkman were affiliated with eXp Realty, a rapidly expanding cloud-based real estate brokerage often likened to Amazon for its dynamic growth and notorious for its lavish parties and a culture that encouraged both hard work and hard play.

The latest allegations echo the harrowing accounts of Fabiola Acevedo, Anya Roberts, and Christy Lundy, who filed lawsuits in 2023. These women reported losing consciousness during social gatherings with the realtors and regaining awareness during or following the alleged assaults.

One of the recent claimants was reportedly just weeks away from her wedding when she experienced a blackout at a work dinner attended by Bjorkman, who is also married, along with other employees of eXp Realty.

She said her last memory was going to a strip club and sitting on Bjorkman’s lap before waking up in his bed the next morning, where he allegedly told her he had filmed her performing a sex act, according to the deposition.

Also included in the filings are texts Golden and Bjorkman allegedly sent each other bragging about ‘banging’ women and an email from a female staff member to Golden  apparently joking about sexually transmitted diseases.

The scandal has been likened to that of the Alexander brothers, two of whom were high-powered realtors, who were convicted of sex trafficking charges after a wave of civil lawsuits from female victims. 

Michael Bjorkman is accused by multiple women in civil lawsuits of running a ‘boys club’ culture where powerful male brokers allegedly drugged and raped them. He has denied any wrongdoing

David Golden with two performers in Las Vegas, who were not involved in the lawsuits. He captioned the photo on socials saying, ‘I couldn’t keep my eyes off of them’

A message from Bjorkman to Golden following a work trip to Mexico that was added into court filings

Both Golden and Bjorkman have denied all previous allegations of sexual impropriety and they did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment about the new claims. 

The legal filings also accuse eXp management of fostering a ‘boys’ club’ party culture while ignoring complaints from female staff. 

Critics say the firm’s structure – where agents receive a cut of the commissions earned by the people they recruit – creates powerful incentives to protect top performers, with little appetite to investigate high earners even when serious allegations are raised. 

Many of the women say in their depositions they took their complaints to senior management, or even raised concerns directly with eXp CEO Glenn Sanford, but claim their reports went nowhere. 

Neither Sanford nor eXp responded to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.

Newly released internal emails show staff raised concerns about Golden and Bjorkman’s behavior as early as 2018, including allegations that Bjorkman drugged and assaulted women. Despite the warnings, the pair remained at the company until 2023. 

One of the four new unnamed women to come forward is a former eXp agent from Colorado, who alleged in her deposition that she attended a group dinner for an eXp work event with Bjorkman and three other female real estate agents who worked at the company. 

‘We had drinks at dinner,’ she said in the lawsuit , adding that she was told the next day she immediately started acting erratic.

Michael Bjorkman and David Golden 

‘I remember getting to the strip club. [But after that,] it’s a blackout,’ she said. She claimed she had a memory flash of sitting on Bjorkman’s lap at the strip club. 

The next morning, her friends told her she was ‘acting like a stripper on Mike Bjorkman, in front of all my colleagues, in front of people I’ve just met, in front of my bosses,’ she said in her deposition.

‘I have no recollection of coming to the hotel,’ she added of where she awoke the next day. ‘That is all lost memory.’

The woman, who had just met Bjorkman that night, alleged she woke up in Bjorkman’s bed the morning after, ‘shocked’ because she was getting married two weeks later.

‘And he was married, so it was shocking for sure,’ she continued in her deposition testimony.

She said in the deposition that she had to be quiet while Bjorkman answered a call from his wife, claiming he told her: ‘Hey, hush hush.’

When he hung up, he allegedly called her a ‘party girl’ who had been ‘acting wild’ the previous night, according to her deposition testimony. 

She claimed he said ‘that I took his phone, put porn on it, and started masturbating while he filmed it. I immediately didn’t believe him because I would not do that.

‘He said he had video – that meant blackmail.’ The location and date of the alleged attack has been redacted from the lawsuit to protect the accuser’s identity. 

 Christy Lundy is also suing the company over claims of sexual assault 

Michael Bjorkman, who is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women in multiple civil lawsuits, enjoys a day out on a boat

A female staffer’s exchange with Golden which appears to allude to sexually transmitted diseases. The staffer said she later began to question her relationship with Golden

Another woman alleged in her deposition that at an eXp event in California in 2019, she had a single glass of white wine, then began stumbling.

She alleged Bjorkman said ‘you’ve been drugged’ and warned her to ‘stay next’ to him.

‘As soon as I stumbled, Mike Bjorkman was there – almost like he caught me – and said, ‘You’ve been drugged,” she said in the deposition.

‘Mike Bjorkman was being Mike Bjorkman,’ the woman continued. ‘He would always buy drinks. He’s like a cool frat guy.’

She said in her deposition she is unsure what happened with Bjorkman while blacked out and claimed that she woke up in the morning in his hotel room ‘confused and disheveled.’ 

A third former employee alleges in a deposition that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Bjorkman in 2007 in California. 

She accused Bjorkman of drugging and raping her in a hotel room after he drove her to a class for her real estate license, then suggested they study afterwards at a nearby hotel, according to the court documents.

‘We went to the Marriott Hotel in Santa Monica,’ she said. ‘We had our books, and I can remember him paying cash for a hotel room, and I thought that was weird.’

The woman claims in her deposition Bjorkman purchased a room with a balcony, then made them both a drink.

‘[I] didn’t see any harm in having a few drinks while we’re studying for this eight-hour test,’ she said in the deposition.

Anya Roberts, a former real estate agent at eXp, alleged in a lawsuit that she was repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted at work events

The lead plaintiff is Fabiola Acevedo, a Florida-based real estate agent who filed a suit in February 2023, alleging that she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a recruiting event

A female witness, who is named in the deposition as Holly Madden, claimed that she was invited by Bjorkman to an event in Daytona Beach, Florida. She claimed she received this message after the event

‘This was sometime around lunchtime. It was still daylight out. And really the next memory I have was waking up with Mike Bjorkman on top of me, having sex with me on the bed,’ she said in her deposition.

‘And then I don’t remember much except that all of a sudden I was facedown with somebody having anal sex with me.’

The woman said in her deposition that she nearly threw up in Bjorkman’s truck when he drove her back to her car.

A fourth accuser alleges in a deposition that she woke up in Golden’s hotel room in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in 2019 with another woman on top of her, nude and touching her after she blacked out after one drink the night before. 

A text in February 2020 from Bjorkman to Golden appears to reference the encounter. It read: ‘The one you banged in Mexico?’

A female eXp employee who was once close with Golden has also testified against him after becoming increasingly concerned by the allegations. 

Playful exchanges between the staffer and Golden are included in the new court filings. In one email, Golden wrote to her: ‘Love you. Sorry that I am a bad influence. I’m just being me.’

She later sent him a joking letter asking whether he was ‘as bad as the Coronavirus,’ saying he left ‘young girls sick’ and asking: ‘How long can this go on?’

David Golden, Michael Bjorkman at an eXp event at the W hotel together

What is described in court documents as an internal memo at eXp speaking about the alleged behavior of Bjorkman reaching complaint status

David Golden claimed in his own deposition that he regularly ordered bottles of Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB or ‘roofies’) and used the drug

But the woman has since turned against her former friend and testified for the plaintiffs. 

In a witness deposition, she said multiple women told her about Golden and Bjorkman’s alleged abuse, including claims she witnessed Golden ordering the date rape drug Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) – or ‘roofies’ – to his hotel room at work events.

She also said the growing allegations made her reassess her own relationship with the pair, describing some of their behavior as ‘strange’ – including the fact they often shared hotel rooms and invited her to stay with them.

The women accused Bjorkman and Golden of slipping the drugs, which in high quantities is known to cause memory loss, into their drinks. 

Golden claimed in his own deposition that he regularly ordered bottles of GHB and took it once or twice a week going back to 2014. 

Bjorkman did not admit to taking the drug, but says he was slipped it twice in his life. 

The 2023 lawsuits filed by Acevedo, Roberts and Lundy make similar allegations.

Acevedo, a Florida-based real estate agent recruited by Golden, claimed in a February 2023 suit that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Bjorkman.

She alleged that in 2018, Bjorkman convinced her to join him at a networking event at the Pelican Hill Hotel in Newport Beach, California, telling her it would help her career.

When she arrived at the event, a hotel staffer told her she did not have a room reserved in her name and that they were sold out, the suit claimed.

Tami Sims and Christiana ‘Christy’ Lundy, real estate agents in Tennessee and California, both later joined Acevedo’s lawsuit, alleging they were also drugged and sexually assaulted by Bjorkman and Golden.

Lundy alleged in her filing that after an eXp event in 2020 in Las Vegas, Bjorkman and Golden invited her for a drink in their suite, where she alleges she drank one cup of vodka and soda water.

Roberts claimed that in February 2020, she flew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to attend an eXp networking event and blacked out after one drink in Golden’s room.

She alleged she woke to Golden standing over her, massaging his penis over his pants, according to her complaint.

In a related demographic shift, an analysis by The New York Times reveals that public school enrollment from kindergarten through 12th grade has decreased across 30 states since the mid-2010s. This decline points to changing population dynamics affecting the education system.

Data sourced from the “National Center for Education Statistics” indicates that between 2014 and 2024, West Virginia experienced the largest drop in student enrollment at 13.6%. Mississippi followed closely with a 12% decrease, and New Hampshire was next with an 11.1% decline.

Conversely, Washington, D.C., which is not classified as a state, recorded the most significant increase in student numbers, with a rise of 16.4%. North Dakota and Idaho also saw substantial growth, with increases of 12.4% and 8.5%, respectively.

A glimpse into the evolving educational landscape can be seen in a classroom at Pickering Middle School in Lynn, Massachusetts, captured on October 24, 2019. (Photo by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

While multiple factors impact enrollment, according to the Times, the outlet claimed that experts indicate the largest factor in falling enrollment is the nation’s record-low fertility rate.

A newborn baby boy yawns as he sits with his mother at Emerson Hospital. (Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Enrollment has fallen 9% since 2014 in Portland, Oregon, according to the Times.

“People are choosing to raise kids somewhere other than in the city — moving to suburbs or places where they have access to affordable housing,” Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong said, according to the Times.

“So it’s not just about losing students, it’s about the city of Portland losing families,” she noted, according to the outlet.

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