Fergie riles the royals
Poor Eugenie’s wedding hell!
Ever since Princess Eugenie announced her engagement, the Duchess of York has been basking in the reflected glory of her youngest daughter’s upcoming wedding by publicly gushing over the bride and groom – and the royal family is not amused.
Most recently, Sarah Ferguson has angered the palace by waxing lyrical on radio about how she and ex-husband Prince Andrew are welcoming tequila ambassador Jack Brooksbank, 32, into The Firm.
“Jack is a really amazing bringer of light and he brings joy,” she raved. “I say to Jack, ‘Always just stay yourself.’ I keep saying that to myself. What else can you do in life? The thing about Andrew and I is that we go with our hearts. We go with family unity and we really believe in that. You can see the York family unity and it’s all about seeing the light in life.”
Clearly relishing the opportunity to step back into the limelight, the duchess, 58, has no interest in dampening rumours of a reunion with her royal ex 22 years after their divorce. Last week, new footage even emerged of Sarah fondly reminiscing about her and Andrew’s 1986 nuptials.
“Yes, I do keep a copy of the wedding video,” she confesses in the interview. “When did I last watch it? Not long ago. It was a pretty incredible day, wasn’t it? I threw myself into the most incredible love affair. It was the greatest day of my life marrying the finest man in my life. He’s a nugget of goodness.”
We’re told Sarah’s attentionseeking antics have really stuck in the craw of the Windsors, who are smarting from the public outcry over the fact 28-year-old Eugenie’s wedding on October 12 will cost British taxpayers $4 million in security alone.
Although the duchess was recently welcomed back into the family after decades in exile, with the Queen inviting Sarah to visit the royals in Balmoral and attend the races at Ascot, they’ll make sure the mother-of-the-bride doesn’t steal the spotlight on the big day.
“There’s so much drama threatening to derail this wedding, not least Fergie’s friction with the palace – it’s getting out of control,” a royal insider tells Woman’sDay, adding that the Windsors may sideline the duchess during the formal proceedings.
Spearheading the charge is Prince Philip, who has long held a grudge against his son’s ex-wife and was at pains to avoid Sarah when she joined the royal family at their Scottish estate recently. It’s no coincidence that the duchess left Balmoral at 10.30am on a Sunday morning and Philip, 97, arrived to be reunited with the Queen, 92, just 45 minutes later.
“Philip does not like being in the same building as her – he just can’t bring himself to forgive her for some of the outrageous things she’s done,” reveals a Balmoral source, citing those infamous toe-sucking photos from 1992 and the 2010 scandal in which Sarah offered an undercover journalist access to Andrew for $1 million cash.
Our insider adds, “Philip doesn’t forgive easily. He can’t stand her and although Fergie is Eugenie’s mum, Philip carries a lot more clout than she does. If he put his foot down and refused to be in the same room as Fergie for this wedding, he would get his way.
“These days, Philip says and does whatever he wants. Fergie would be devastated, but everyone is just hoping that he can bite his tongue and accept her into the family – at least for one day!”