#How Sarah Ferguson Responded To Being Iced Out Of William & Kate’s Royal Wedding

No, we’re not talking about Prince Harry and Prince William, or their parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana. This time the spotlight is on Sarah Ferguson and how her own scandal alienated her from the other royals — and lost her an invite to the wedding of Will and Kate Middleton.

Related: Harry’s Memoir Is ‘Final Nail In The Coffin’ For Relationship With Charles & William

The year before the royal wedding, Fergie found herself in hot water after she was caught on camera offering a News of the World reporter (disguised as a sheik) access to her ex-husband Prince Andrew in exchange for half a million pounds. Already a frequently controversial figure in the Royal Family, the scandal led to her being shunned from Will’s nuptials — the biggest social event of 2011.

Apparently, the Duchess of York doesn’t hold a grudge over the issue. In a new interview with Town & Country, she shared:

“I didn’t think I was probably worthy to go to their wedding. I took myself to Thailand, actually, to be far away from it so that I could try and heal.”

Wasn’t worthy? Ouch!

The 61-year-old had her redemption when she eventually attended Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018. She said of the olive branch:

“It was very kind of them, and I can’t thank them enough for doing that because it was nerve-wracking.”

Fergie even got a round of applause when she showed up, something she says felt “quite extraordinary.”

She declined to comment about the current drama between the Sussexes and the rest of the royals, except to reference her former BFF, Princess Diana. She said:

“I believe that [Princess] Diana would be so proud of her boys… and she’d be so proud of her grandchildren.”

Previously, the My Story author claimed that the late Princess would be proud of “the wonderful wives” her sons had chosen, “Because each has got her own voice.” She also praised Meghan’s efforts in writing her children’s book The Bench. However, she also allegedly texted encouragement to Piers Morgan after he quit Good Morning Britain rather than apologize for his inappropriate comments about the actress’ mental health.

One would think Princess Beatrice’s mother would have more sympathy for the Suits alum, as they were both raked over the coals by the press. She admitted to Town & Country:

“When they say you’re the ‘Duchess of Pork’ or you’re ‘frumpy Fergie,’ you start believing it.”

In fact, tabloid coverage back then even resembled the way the media pit Meghan and Kate against each other. Fergie recalled:

“It was always that Diana was portrayed as the saint and I was portrayed as the sinner. Bad Fergie sold an awful lot of papers.”

Related: Kate Has Been ‘Reaching Out’ To Meghan More To Mend Their Relationship

But like Meghan, Sarah has found her own escape from the pressures of the press and royal life. She reflected:

“It’s a very good moment, because I’m free. She’s still with me, that person who thinks she’s fat, ugly, and disgusting, and she still has to have her hair done to talk to you, but she’s now not so vocal. The truth is, I am 61 years old and I’m free of the self-­sabotaging Sarah.”

It may help that these days, Prince Andrew’s scandals have beyond overshadowed her own. Still, when asked about her ex-husband’s association with infamous “billionaire pedophile” Jeffrey Epstein, she told the outlet:

“There is no question that we remain steadfast to each other in loyalty, integrity, honor. … The family is everything to me. The most important thing is the girls.”

Loyalty is great, but one should definitely be careful to whom they decide to become loyal — lest they become part of a harmful enterprise.

We can’t imagine what Fergie’s life has been like these past few months, so we’re glad she’s in a good place now about the old controversies at least. These days, it definitely seems like being royalty isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

[Image via Anwar Hussein/WENN/Avalon]