Sarah saw her big return to the royal fold scuppered when she had to convince ex Andrew to stay away from the Firm’s Christmas celebrations – at her own expense
Sarah had to step in and convince Andrew to keep a low-profile over the Christmas period(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Sarah Ferguson and her ex husband Andrew Mountbatten Windsor have been very much left out in the cold this winter. The disgraced pair have seemingly not been invited to the royal Christmas celebrations and – being forced to vacate their shared home Royal Lodge – will likely spend the day quietly and away from the spotlight.
At the end of 2023, the future looked bright for Sarah. She was invited to the Sandringham celebrations for the first time since 1991 – and she beamed as she warmly greeted members of the public who lined to walk to Church of St Mary Magdalene. Indeed, Fergie was so excited on the day, she broke royal tradition with a surprising act during Christmas lunch.
Royal expert Ephraim Hardcastle revealed: “She even live-tweeted from Sandringham after lunch, overwhelmed that she was finally back in the royal fold.” In her message, Sarah told her followers: “We are enjoying each other’s company and feeling grateful today. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Happy Christmas to anyone who celebrates and season’s greetings to all!”
READ MORE: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ‘could quit UK’ for country 4,200 miles awayREAD MORE: Royal family ‘worried about one key issue’ with Andrew and FergieREAD MORE: Sarah Ferguson could ‘move into Princess Beatrice’s granny annexe’ after Royal Lodge evictionSarah was clearly delighted to be welcomed back into the royal fold for Christmas 2023(Image: ©Francis Dias/Newspix International)
Her attendance marked a departure from decades of exclusion following the infamous 1992 “toe-sucking” furore, which led Prince Philip to bar Sarah from the royal occasion. But in 2023, King Charles softened his stance, inviting the former duchess to join the family at Sandringham.
Fast forward a year, and everything had changed. Rather than heading to Norfolk with the rest of the royals in 2024, Sarah celebrated Christmas alone with Andrew at their shared home, Royal Lodge. And it was the ex-Duchess who was tasked with keeping Andrew away in order to save the Windsors from further embarrassment.
It was Sarah who managed to convince Andrew to keep a low-profile last Christmas amid furore over the ‘spy scandal'(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Andrew had been under pressure to stay away amid the ongoing scandal surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy. He had remained defiant in the face of the ‘spy-scandal’ – and had been adamant he would even attend the pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, alongside other major royals. A source told the Sun at the time: “Andrew told friends that it’s his family and so he should be there. It’s a family occasion, why shouldn’t he go?”
It is understood that it was his ex-wife, Sarah, who convinced him to step away from both the lunch and the royal celebrations, giving up her own chance to return to Sandringham for Christmas again having spent many years out of the fold. She is believed to have come to the royal family’s rescue after King Charles and Queen Camilla privately urged Andrew to “see sense” and withdraw from the public gathering, as the ‘spy’ controversy continued to escalate.
The decision for the pair to stay put at the Royal Lodge is thought to have been made easier by Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s plans to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws for the first time.
It’s not known whether the family will stick together for Christmas this year(Image: @sarahferguson15/Instagram)
What of this year? Andrew has reportedly told Andrew and Sarah that they will not be invited to this year’s royal celebrations, but it remains unclear what they ex couple will get up to. According to reports, Fergie is considering invitations from friends – and could even spend the festive period abroad, leaving Andrew alone in Royal Lodge.
However, while the family are keen to distance themselves from the disgraced ex-Duke, they don’t want him to be left completely by himself. It has been suggested that his brother Prince Edward, 61, or sister Princess Anne, 75, could potentially step in, amid discussions with royal aides. Royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward said: “It is a very difficult situation with Andrew and Christmas. But I cannot see them leaving him on his own – someone will scoop him up.”
Christmas is one of the biggest events in the royal calendar, with the whole family stepping out in force for the morning walk to church. Andrew’s expulsion from the celebrations only serves to further highlight his complete fall from grace. And he will also once again be excluded from the family’s lavish pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace – considered a treasured tradition for the Windsors.
