Sarah Ferguson Arrives For First Summer Break At Balmoral With Embattled Ex Prince Andrew After Prince Philip Reportedly Banned Her
It seems that Sarah Ferguson might slowly be making her way back into the royal family's good graces.
The Duchess of York was spotted in Queen Elizabeth II's Balmoral residence in Scotland with Prince Andrew earlier this week.
Andrew was seen driving on the grounds while his ex-wife sat in the back seat. According to the Daily Mail, his dog arrived at the estate in a separate car an hour before he did, which could signal a long stay in the castle.
Fergie was reportedly banned from the residence by Prince Philip following her split from the Duke of York, The Sun reported. The 62-year-old lives with her ex-husband at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Philip reportedly refused to be in the same place as Ferguson following her divorce from Andrew, which was finalized in 1996. He is said to have blamed her for publicly humiliating the Queen.
Fergie was reportedly staying in Balmoral in 1992 when photos of her with financial advisor John Bryan emerged. The estranged couple was still married at the time, but they had legally separated earlier that year. In the photos, Bryan was spotted kissing Fergie's toes as they lounged by a pool.
In 2013, Fergie was eventually invited to Balmoral again, but reportedly left the castle a day before Philip arrived every year since then.
Philip passed away at the age of 99 in April.
Royal expert Tom Quinn told the Express that Fergie has "cautiously" been invited to royal events which may be due to the monarch "mellowing in her old age."
"I think very tentatively the Queen is saying 'Look, we’re just going to try this but if you put a foot wrong, it will all stop again,'" Quinn said.
Ferguson was invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018, but was not present at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011 due to her reported involvement in a pay-for-access scheme.
Andrew's visit to Balmoral comes after Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed a lawsuit against him in New York South District federal court on Monday, August 9, for allegedly sexually abusing her when she was a minor. Roberts has alleged that she was made to have sex with the royal on three different occasions in London, New York, and on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, Little Saint James.
Andrew has previously denied the allegations, but he stepped back from royal duties in 2019.
"It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support," he said at the time.
