Advertisement

Princess Eugenie's Mom Has a Major Role for Her Royal Wedding

Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images
Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

Sarah Ferguson's youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, married her fiancé, Jack Brooksbank, Friday. And although Ferguson divorced Eugenie's father, Prince Andrew, over 20 years ago, the Duchess of York was there to celebrate Eugenie's nuptials.

Ferguson arrived at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle with her other daughter, Princess Beatrice of York. The mother of the bride appeared to be all smiles as she waved to the crowd before walking into the church.

Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images
Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained ahead of the wedding that Ferguson will sit beside her ex-husband in the front pew of St. George's Chapel. In a Vanity Fair article, Nicholl noted that it has been reported that Ferguson was often ostracized by the royal family since her divorce in 1996. For instance, at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding, Ferguson had a very different seating arrangement than her daughters.

Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images
Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

"While Andrew and the couple’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, were at the front of the church in reserved family pews just behind the Queen, Sarah was relegated to a seat further back in the church, presumably so that she was not in sight of Prince Philip," Nicholl writes. An anonymous source also told the reporter that the Duke of Edinburgh "can’t bear to be in the same room as Fergie."

Ferguson has often blamed herself for any division in the past. In 2011, the Duchess of York conducted an interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which she shared why her previous scandals may have contributed to any tension.

"I felt that I had ostracized myself by my behavior, by my past, by living with all the regrets and my mistakes," she said, according to Entertainment Tonight.

In recent years, Ferguson has turned her life around and devoted herself to her charity work. "It has certainly made me a better mother to my daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, giving me a sense of perspective, and allowing me to encourage them to use the platform they have to get involved in charitable work," she wrote in an op-ed for Evening Standard.

Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images
Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images

"It has probably saved my life, too, by giving me purpose through hard times," Ferguson also said.

For Vanity Fair, Nicholl writes how Ferguson took part in preparing for Eugenie's upcoming nuptials.

“Sarah and Andrew are helping to organize the evening party," a source told Nicholl. "The plan is for a marquee to be set up in the grounds and dancing late into the night. Eugenie and Jack are planning the whole thing, but Sarah and Andrew are very involved. Sarah is bringing a very eclectic and exciting guest list to Windsor.”

('You Might Also Like',)