While Christmas Day is a holiday for many, the royal family is on the clock that day, with a public-facing visit to church among other traditions. Though Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet did not participate in the annual visit to Sandringham Church, another royal with a rocky relationship with the family did: After a three-decade absence, Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of disgraced Jeffrey Epstein associate Prince Andrew, was back in the Christmas Day fold.
As Harry and Meghan reportedly relaxed at their home in Montecito, the royal family—led by King Charles and Queen Camilla—strode into Sandringham, Norfolk's St. Mary Magdalene Church Monday as a thousand or so (as estimated by Hello) onlookers waved and cheered.
Also on hand were Prince William and Kate Middleton, with kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis in tow. Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie were also at the church Monday, as were Princess Beatrice, husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and a multitude of other members of the royal family.
The biggest surprise of the day was the appearance of Sarah Ferguson, who was married to Prince Andrew from 1986-1996. Ferguson hasn't attended the Christmas service with the family since 1991, the Telegraph reports, a year before the couple separated. That year, she walked in on the heels of Princess Diana and a very young Prince Harry.
This was also the second year that Andrew had rejoined the family for services, after an absence that royal watchers link to the allegations of sex abuse against Charles's younger brother, claims Andrew legally settled last year. According to Robert Hardman, a journalist on the royal beat, Fergie's appearance Monday had less to do with Andrew's legal troubles and more to do with an attempt by Charles to mend fences.
“Fergie was out in the cold, if you like, really ever since the breakdown of her marriage back in the mid-90s. And there she was yesterday,” Hardman said. "The king is very fond of his nieces, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. This is a way of showing that."
Those mended fences will likely be put to the test in the coming months, as new scrutiny is likely coming for Andrew. In January, a massive trove of court documents will be released, papers that will (per the Telegraph) “link him and 170 others to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.”
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