Monarchy: Appearance of “Fergie” – Royals welcome Duchess again

Some people might be happy if they got through the Christmas holidays without a big family row. And perhaps there were even gestures of reconciliation. In any case, the British royals have invited a woman to their Christmas service who hasn’t been there for a whopping 32 years: Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife. The Duchess of York has been readmitted, wrote the renowned Times newspaper. And the tabloid “Sun” headlined: “Give it all away.” Her appearance in the green coat was a sign of goodwill from King Charles III, her ex-brother-in-law, said royals expert Phil Dampier.

In fact, the headlines that once appeared about the 64-year-old were a while ago. She was photographed having a man sucking her toes (it was a financial advisor, not Andrew). And she once offered a reporter posing as a businessman £500,000 for business contacts with her ex-husband. She later apologized for the dubious behavior. But since she was divorced from ex-husband Andrew, it was not appropriate in Queen Elizabeth II’s eyes for “Fergie” to appear with the family.

The Duchess is the mother of Princesses Eugenie (33) and Beatrice (35). She walked with her daughters and their husbands along a line of royal fans to church in Sandringham. Most recently, she spoke publicly about her breast cancer and encouraged other women to go for preventative care. Since Queen Elizabeth’s death, she has been caring for two of her corgis.

The royals are on all channels

The fact that she was not only invited to a private Christmas dinner at the Sandringham country estate in eastern England, but also to the church service, made headlines. On the other hand, the arrival of the royals at the church is enough for some British television stations to run a news tape through the picture.

The Christmas days were carefully staged for the media anyway. On Christmas Eve, a TV station broadcast a Christmas carol service with Princess Kate (41) from Westminster Abbey. On Christmas Day, King Charles’ speech called for peace, understanding and environmental protection.

Opponents of the monarchy criticize the coronation documentary

The BBC then wanted to show a documentary on Boxing Day that looked at Charles’ coronation. The Republic organization, which advocates for the abolition of the monarchy, criticized the public broadcaster’s project – saying it was a PR film, but Charles was a public figure and was paid for by the state. This is one side of the debate about the monarchy.

On the other hand, there are people who are happy about the royals. Hundreds waited to catch a glimpse of the family outside St. Mary Magdalene Church. Charles’ second son Prince Harry, who has fallen out with the family and lives in California, was not among the guests again. That’s why the scandal-ridden Prince Andrew was there. He is said to still have a good relationship with his ex-wife “Fergie” and live on the same property – albeit in separate wings.

Court orders publication of abuse scandal

Because of his involvement in a sexual abuse scandal, Andrew rarely appears in public and has had to give up honorary military titles. He was friends with the businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who is said to have sexually abused numerous girls, including underage girls. Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and found dead in his cell around a month later.

There were also allegations against Andrew. The American Virginia Giuffre accused him of having abused her as a minor. Before going to trial, Giuffre and Andrew settled out of court, reportedly in exchange for millions of pounds. Andrew always denied the allegations.

A New York court has now ordered the publication of names connected to the dead US multimillionaire Epstein. According to US media estimates, this involves 150 or more people who were named in court documents in a civil dispute between Giuffre and Epstein’s long-time and now convicted partner Ghislaine Maxwell. The release could take place in January.