The Royal Family‘s Christmas celebration is looked forward to by many across the world. The eyes are not just on the majestic venue and the extravagant decorations, food, and clothing, it is also on who attends the annual eve.
The biggest surprise at the royal Christmas celebrations this year was the presence of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. Also known as Fergie, Ferguson made a return to the royal Christmas Day church outing after over two decades along with her divorced husband. Read on to know the story behind this drama-filled royal relationship.
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Why Was Sarah Ferguson Absent From Royal Traditions For Decades?
Sarah Ferguson is a former royal who came for the Christmas Day church outing with her ex-husband, the disgraced Prince Andrew at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Norfolk, on Monday. Ferguson separated from Prince Andrew in 1992 and has since been absent from the traditional holiday service.
The royal watchers surely got their heads turned when the royal family included Fergie and Prince Andrew at the service at St. Mary Magdalene Church after decades of absence.
After the couple got officially divorced in 1996, they have managed to maintain a friendly relationship. The couple still resides together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. The reason for their divorce also has to do with the royal family’s controversial rules.
“I wanted to work; it’s not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial, so Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job,” Sarah was quoted as saying by People when she was asked the reason for her divorce.
The couple has two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Both of them also joined the Christmas outing on Monday along with their respective spouses, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.
Sarah and Andrew also share three grandchildren: Princess Eugenie’s sons, August and Ernst, and Princess Beatrice’s daughter, Sienna.
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Why Was Prince Andrew Withdrawn From Royal Duties?
Prince Andrew was withdrawn from royal duties in 2019 because of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The royal was distanced from the family. Following that, Queen Elizabeth II also stripped him of his military ties and patronages following a controversial interview wherein he defended his friendship with Epstein in 2022.
Though he was looked down upon by his family, Prince Andrew received consistent support from his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson despite them being a divorced couple. In a 2021 interview with People, Sarah described Prince Andrew as a “kind, good man and a fabulous father“. The Duchess of York co-parents her daughters with Prince Andrew.
Fergie has been in the limelight recently for co-hosting a podcast. Other than that, she was also in headlines for not receiving an invitation to King Charles III’s coronation. Addressing the issue on ‘Good Morning Britain‘, she said she is unfazed by it.
“You can’t have it both ways. You mustn’t sit on the fence. You’re either in or out, but don’t muck around,” she said. “I am divorced, and I’m really loving being divorced to my ex-husband — not from my ex-husband, it’s quite a differentiate — and also getting out there as a new novelist,” she added.
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