Duchess of York records Christmas message with late Queen’s corgis in tow
The Duchess of York has recorded a Christmas message with the late Queen’s corgis in tow.
Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, said the festive period was “a time for reflection” and “saying thank you” as she was filmed walking the dogs in Windsor.
She is understood to be spending Christmas Day with the beleaguered Duke of York, who was urged to steer clear of the Royal family’s annual event at Sandringham amid his involvement in a Chinese spy scandal.
The Duchess, who cooed to the corgis before addressing the camera, said: “It’s a time of reflection and I just want to say thank you and a huge embrace of goodness and kindness to those of you who have been so kind and so supportive.
“People all over the world who are feeling low or sad [can] just take some joyous bubbles from us here, we’re sending you so much.
“You must just keep showing light, turning to the light and finding the joy and saying thank you and I really think that’s so important so, thank you.”
The Duke and Duchess of York were pictured driving out of their shared home in Windsor on Christmas afternoon.
It comes after she intervened with her ex-husband’s plans to attend the family’s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace last Thursday with some last minute “deft family diplomacy”.
The King was said to be “very grateful” for her intervention as royal insiders noted Andrew’s appearance at any of the formal Christmas plans would have further embarrassed the monarch amid the scandal.
The Duke and Duchess are understood to therefore be spending the day together at their shared home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor, while the rest of the family gathered at the King’s estate to attend Christmas celebrations there.
The couple’s eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, joined the rest of the Royals at Sandringham after being advised not to travel while heavily pregnant.
The Princess, 36, who is due to give birth in early spring, had planned to spend Christmas abroad with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 41, and his family.
However, Buckingham Palace sources said she had been told by her medical team that it would be inadvisable to travel long distances at this late stage of pregnancy.
The decision was unconnected to the furore surrounding her father and his involvement with the alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, it is understood.
Earlier this month, the Duchess of York said she is looking after her “sad” ex-husband and “won’t let him down” in an interview with The Sunday Times.
The 65-year-old has remained close to disgraced Prince Andrew ever since their divorce in 1996.
The recent Chinese spy scandal furore marks another humiliation for the Duke, who was forced to step back from his official royal duties in 2019 after the disastrous Newsnight interview in which he discussed his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
