Sarah, Duchess of York, ‘grateful’ for royal invitation to Sandringham on Christmas Day

Sarah Ferguson said she was “grateful” after being welcomed back to the royal family's annual Christmas service for the first time in 32 years.

The 64-year-old Duchess of York was seen greeting people outside St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate on Christmas Day.

She has not been seen with the royals at Sandringham since her separation from the Duke of York in 1992, after photos of her with her financial adviser John Bryan were leaked.

Ferguson and Prince Andrew announced their separation and divorced in 1996. The couple remain friends and live together in the Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ferguson shared a photo of herself with her daughters and wished everyone a Merry Christmas.

She wrote: “Enjoying each other's company and feeling grateful today. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and Happy Holidays to all!”

At Sandringham, Ferguson was photographed alongside Andrew and her daughters Princess Eugenie and Beatrice, who were present with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Andrew was invited back to Sandringham last year following the Queen's death. He was forced to step down from royal duties in 2020 after his controversial friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came under scrutiny.

Earlier this month, Ferguson said in an interview with Lorraine Kelly that Christmas was “not about prejudice based on race, creed or colour, it was just about love”.

When asked if the royal family would come together for the holidays, she said: “I firmly believe that the greatest gift that can be given today is understanding, without prejudice, without race, creed, colour or any other dominant view, just love. There is no greater gift than love.”