Sarah Ferguson had only just found her footing amidst The Firm, but it appears the Duchess of York’s fierce loyalty to Prince Andrew has, once again, rocked the royal boat.
Sarah, 65, who joined the Royal Family for Christmas at Sandringham last year for the first time since 1992, has been forced to recuse herself from this year’s celebrations after Andrew’s links to an alleged Chinese spy came to light.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that a ‘close confidant’ of the Duke, 64, was an alleged Chinese spy – today named as Yang Tengbo – who had been banned from entering the UK after an investigation by MI5, with King Charles said to be ‘furious’.
In the wake of the scandal, the beleaguered duke has agreed to skip the annual Christmas festivities at the Norfolk estate following counselling from his loyal ex-wife Sarah, fondly known as Fergie.
The duchess is believed to have come to the royal family’s rescue after King Charles and Queen Camilla privately expressed their desire for Andrew to ‘see sense’ and skip the public gathering next week – as the Chinese spy controversy rages on.
In yet another heartbreaking show of solidarity with her ex-husband, Fergie has also agreed to skip the festivities – albeit with a heavy heart, considering the mother-of-two had only recently been welcomed back to Sandringham.
Fergie was radiant as she joined the royals for their annual Christmas walkabout last December for the first time in 30 years – following the couple’s high profile divorce in 1996.
Following her infamous toe-sucking scandal in 1992, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugene’s mother was banned from the attending the royal occasion by Prince Philip.
Sarah Ferguson, 65, has been forced to recuse herself from Christmas at Sandringham, following the controversy over Prince Andrew’s ties to an alleged Chinese spy
Fergie was radiant as she joined Andrew and the rest of the royals for their annual Christmas walkabout last December for the first time in 30 years – following the couple’s high profile divorce in 1996
Andrew and Fergie will both be absent from the royal family’s annual Christmas walkabout in Norfolk, after it was revealed that a ‘close confidant’ of the Duke, 64, was an alleged Chinese spy – today named as Yang Tengbo (left)
But King Charles softened that approach last year and invited her to join the family at Sandringham for the first time in decades, though she didn’t join them for church.
She was, however, among the stars of last year’s walkabout – as the Duchess accepted bouquets of flowers from well-wishers lining the road outside the St Mary Magdalene Church.
Fergie, who was dressed in a gorgeous emerald green coat, appeared in high spirits as she laughed and joked with onlookers during last year’s walkabout – seen as a sign of Andrew and Sarah’s gradual rehabilitation within the monarchy.
Prince Andrew’s latest controversy – following the intense scrutiny over his tied to Epstein – has thrown a spanner in the works, as Fergie finds herself out in the cold again.
It is a sacrifice she seems willing to make for the greater good of the Royal Family, with Fergie recently admitting she wishes she could ‘do more’ for Queen Camilla in an interview with The Sunday Times.
Speaking about her relationship with the Queen, Fergie said: ‘Queen Camilla was close friends with Mum, which is why we’re so close now. That’s why it’s so big that the Queen and I get on now.
‘It’s rather nice, and she reminds me of Mum. I admire the extraordinary support she’s giving this country. I want to do as much for the Queen as possible. I wish they’d ask me to do more.’
Sarah also vowed not to ‘let Andrew down’ in the interview that was conducted before the disgraced royal’s ties to Mr Tengbo surfaced.
Fergie, who was dressed in a gorgeous emerald green coat, appeared in high spirits as she laughed and joked with onlookers during last year’s walkabout – seen as a sign of Andrew and Sarah’s gradual rehabilitation within the monarchy
Fergie clutched a bouquet of flowers as she wore a dark brown dress, paired with a festive Christmas tree brooch and a large bracelet spelling out the name of her daughter ‘Eugenie’
She appeared in high spirits as she laughed and joked with crowds of onlookers that lined the streets outside St Mary Magdalene Church
Tengbo – who denies being a spy or doing anything illegal – was so close to Andrew that he visited Buckingham Palace twice, and entered St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle.
He was even authorised to act on Andrew’s behalf to seek investors in China.
Speaking prior to the latest allegations against Andrew, Sarah professed her undying support for her ex-husband, revealing that she is currently looking after him and ‘won’t let him down’.
In the joint interview given with her sister Jane, she confessed: ‘When Jane left for Australia, I became a carer for Dad. I was left to look after a sad man, which is sort of what I’m doing now.’
Reflecting on their wedding day at Westminster Abbey in 1986, Sarah said the love that was between them then is ‘still with us today’, adding: ‘I won’t let him down.
‘He supports me as much as I support him. He’s supported me through thick and thin, not just marriage or divorce. We agree on the three Cs – communication, compromise, compassion.’
Sarah’s devotion to Andrew will once again be tested amid scrutiny of his dealings with Mr Tengbo, after MI5 discovered that the businessman, 50, was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and was working for its shadowy United Front Work Department, which gathers intelligence.
When police stopped him at the UK border in 2021 it was discovered that he had a briefing document in which Andrew appeared to be described as being in a ‘desperate situation and will grab onto anything’.
The Duke of York (pictured) has said he ‘ceased all contact’ with the businessman accused of being a Chinese spy when concerns were first raised about him
The alleged spy has previously attended a meeting of the powerful Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing.
In a sign of his importance to China’s Communist Party, he was pictured on the front row of the meeting in the vast Great Hall of the People.
Mr Tengbo recently lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.
He brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023.
Judges were told that, in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed Mr Tengbo (previously referred to only as ‘H6) had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials ‘that could be leveraged for political interference purposes’.
They also said that Mr Tengbo had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Prince Andrew represented a threat to national security.
A statement from Prince Andrew’s office said: ‘The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.
‘The Duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.
Tengbo (far right) posing with Andrew at an event to encourage trade between China and Britain
The alleged spy alongside former Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha
‘He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.’
Fergie has steafastly remained by Prince Andrew’s side in the wake of the Epstein scandal that turned him into a royal pariah.
The Duke withdrew from frontline royal duties in late 2019 after public outrage over a BBC television interview in which he defended his friendship with Epstein.
In February 2022, the former Royal Navy helicopter pilot settled a US civil case brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
Andrew denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Queen Elizabeth II stripped him of his honorary military titles and patronages soon afterwards, effectively shutting him out of royal life.
