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King Charles extended an extraordinary olive branch to his disgraced brother Prince Andrew after he invited Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with whom Andrew still lives, to join the royal family for its high-profile annual visit to church on Christmas Day.
The gesture was widely seen as an expression of gratitude to Fergie from the king for the unwavering support she has given her ex-husband following his ejection in disgrace from the royal family in 2022.
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It came just days after a judge in the United States ordered the unsealing of documents containing more than 170 names connected to Jeffrey Epstein in a defamation case brought against jailed Epstein conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein trafficking victim to whom Andrew paid an estimated $14 million settlement over claims of rape and sexual abuse.
The documents are believed to name Andrew, once again putting an unwelcome spotlight on his association with the dead pedophile.
The annual trip to church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk is one of the most high-profile demonstrations of royal family unity, and the inclusion of Fergie in the heart of the royal group for the first time in 30 years, according to the Telegraph, marked a remarkable change in fortunes for the former wife of Prince Andrew, who was for decades a pariah.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Mia Tindall arrive at the Royal Family’s Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, Dec. 25, 2023.
Chris Radburn/ReutersShe was particularly disliked by Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, who refused to be in the same room as her after she divorced Prince Andrew and drew the royal family into a series of embarrassing scandals.
These included offering access to her husband for several hundred thousand dollars to an undercover journalist, a seemingly endless stream of tacky commercial deals, and being photographed having her toe sucked by a lover.
However, the spirit of Christmas is apparently flowing rich in Charles’ veins, for not only was Sarah invited to church, but upon leaving the one hour service, she was permitted to mingle with and greet the waiting crowd of royal fans who gather at the church on Christmas Day, where the royals spent a considerable amount of time talking to well wishes before walking back to the big house for lunch.
Sarah then posted to social media: “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.”
While Sarah looked happy and cheerful, Andrew was by contrast stony faced. He is reportedly “totally tormented” by the prospect of his name appearing again in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew’s daughters were also present with their husbands, Princess Beatrice with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Eugenie with Jack Brooksbank.
Prince Edward and Sophie were in attendance.
Prince William and Kate Middleton were beaming as they greeted crowds of royal fans after attending the Christmas service chatting to royal fans with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
They had earlier also posted to social media:
Prince Louis stole the show as usual, wearing tartan trousers while holding his cousin Mia Tindall’s hand.
In his Christmas speech, broadcast at 3 p.m. local time, the king went on to reflect that the “care and compassion we show to others is one of the themes of the Christmas story.” Sarah Ferguson would presumably agree.
