Prince Andrew's daughter Eugenie sends emotional message to Prince William after personal invitation

Prince Andrew's daughter Eugenie sent a deeply felt message after she received a personal invitation from Prince William.

The Prince of Wales invited his cousins to a Royal Family party "via WhatsApp", royal sources have claimed.

Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie all accompanied their cousin, the Prince of Wales, to a Buckingham Palace garden party earlier this week.

Almost all 8,000 guests received their invitations through the post, on thick, cream cards with embossed letters.

Princess Eugenie even took to Instagram to share a powerful message, writing: "Come rain or shine, I was delighted to support my family yesterday to meet some special individuals at the Buckingham Palace Garden Party who have gone above and beyond to support their local communities and the country."

However, according to sources in The Telegraph, the Prince of Wales sent his four cousins plus Mike Tindall a WhatsApp message to invite them to the garden party.

Their arrival lifted what could have been a rather different occasion for the prince, who was hosting the garden party on behalf of King Charles and without Princess Kate.

Just as Queen Elizabeth II relied on cousins from her own generation, as well as loyal children and grandchildren to join her at public events, Prince William did the same with a great reaction from the public.

A source told The Telegraph: “The cousins are all very close and always have been.

“I think people liked seeing them being there together and supporting each other.”

Princess Eugenie wrote on Instagram afterwards: “Come rain or shine, I was delighted to support my family to meet some special individuals at the Buckingham Palace garden party who have gone above and beyond to support their local communities and the country.”

The Prince of Wales is thought to be keen to extend similar invitations again, in the spirit of including the wider family.

Regarding the younger generation of royals, the source added: “They’re very willing to step up and do more at this current time, to help.

"They’re very fond of their cousin and their uncle, and they want to do everything they can to support them.

"And they believe in the institution they grew up in.”