Who Wasn't Invited To William And Kate's Wedding?

Sarah Ferguson, also known as Fergie, was not invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. Fergie was married to Prince Andrew, who is William's uncle, from 1986 to 1996. Fergie's absence from the wedding was notable, especially as her ex-husband and daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were in attendance. Fergie later revealed that she felt unworthy of an invitation and travelled to Thailand to distance herself from the event.

Fergie was selling access to Prince Andrew

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was not invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. This was surprising to some, as her ex-husband Prince Andrew and their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were in attendance. Ferguson's absence was notable, as she is still considered a member of the royal family, albeit a peripheral one.

In the lead-up to the wedding, Ferguson was embroiled in a scandal. She was secretly filmed offering to sell access to Prince Andrew, her ex-husband, for £500,000 (around $760,000 at the time) to a reporter posing as a businessman. In the video, Ferguson can be heard saying, "That opens up everything you would ever wish for. I can open any door you want, and I will for you. Look after me and he’ll look after you … you’ll get it back tenfold."

This incident caused embarrassment to the royal family and is believed to be the main reason Ferguson was not invited to the wedding. It is important to note that Ferguson and Prince Andrew have maintained a close relationship since their divorce in 1996, and they still reside together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. Despite this, Ferguson's actions were seen as a serious lapse in judgment, and the royal family's decision to exclude her from the wedding was likely influenced by a desire to distance themselves from the scandal.

Following the incident, Ferguson released a statement expressing her deep regret and apologizing for her actions. She acknowledged that her financial situation was under stress but recognized that it did not excuse her behavior. She also clarified that Prince Andrew was not aware of or involved in any of the discussions. Ferguson's statement reflected her understanding of the seriousness of the situation and her willingness to take responsibility for her actions.

Prince William holds a grudge

It has been over a decade since Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in front of 1,900 guests. However, one notable absence from the guest list was Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and ex-wife of Prince Andrew. While her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attended, along with their father, Fergie was nowhere to be seen.

Fergie's absence was particularly notable given that she had attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018, despite that event having a much more exclusive guest list of just 600. Fergie's relationship with Harry is known to be a warm one, with the Prince reportedly getting on with his aunt "really well".

So, why was Fergie not invited to William and Kate's wedding? One theory is that William holds a grudge against his aunt by marriage. Fergie and William's mother, Princess Diana, were great friends, but they fell out quite dramatically around six months before Diana's death in 1997. The bad feeling was so strong that Diana refused to take any of Fergie's calls. It is possible that William, knowing the full extent of the rift, did not want his aunt at his wedding.

Another reason for Fergie's absence could be the scandal that hit the headlines just a year before the wedding. Fergie was secretly filmed offering to sell "access" to her ex-husband for over $700,000. The Royals were aware of Fergie's financial troubles and it is possible they did not trust her not to use a wedding invitation as an opportunity to make money.

Whatever the reason, Fergie's non-invitation clearly caused her pain. She told Oprah Winfrey that it was "difficult" for her not to be included, especially as she had walked up the same aisle as a bride herself. However, she did not resent the royals for their decision and took a trip to Thailand to be far away from the wedding so that she could "heal".

There was no room

There are a few reasons why Sarah Ferguson, also known as Fergie, was not invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. One of the most prominent reasons is that there was reportedly no room for her among the guest list, which already included 1,900 guests. This included several kings from countries without a monarchy, which led some to believe that space could have been found for Fergie. However, it is important to note that the wedding had a limited capacity, and only true friends of the couple were invited.

Fergie's ex-husband, Prince Andrew, and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were all in attendance. Fergie, however, chose to leave the country and go to Thailand to "try and heal." She acknowledged that she did not feel "worthy" of attending the wedding and did not want to be a distraction from the happy couple.

Fergie's relationship with the royal family has been strained due to various controversies. Notably, in 2010, she was caught in a scandal where she offered to sell access to Prince Andrew to a reporter posing as a businessman for £500,000. This incident caused embarrassment to the royal family and may have contributed to the perception that Fergie was not "worthy" of an invitation.

Despite not being invited to William and Kate's wedding, Fergie was invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018. This invitation signalled a potential improvement in her relationship with the royal family.

Prince Andrew was bringing a date

In the lead-up to the wedding, there was speculation about whether Sarah Ferguson would be invited. She was not on good terms with the royal family at the time due to a recent scandal. In 2010, less than a year before the wedding, she was caught in a sting operation trying to sell access to Prince Andrew for £500,000. This incident caused embarrassment to the royal family and put Sarah Ferguson in a negative light. As a result, it was not surprising that she was not invited to the wedding.

It is important to note that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were invited to the wedding and attended without their mother. Prince Andrew was also in attendance, but it is unclear if he brought a date or attended solo.

Fergie didn't want to go

Although it is widely speculated that Sarah Ferguson, also known as Fergie, was not invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton due to her controversial behaviour, some sources suggest that Fergie didn't want to go.

Fergie, who was married to Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996, told Town and Country magazine: "I didn't think I was probably worthy to go to their wedding. I took myself to Thailand, actually, to be far away from it so that I could try and heal."

Fergie's trip to Thailand at the time of the wedding certainly suggests that she wanted to avoid the media frenzy and any potential embarrassment. It is possible that she felt it would be better for her to remove herself from the situation and focus on her own healing.

Furthermore, Fergie's statement to the media before the wedding claimed that she had a prior commitment on the date of the wedding. This could be interpreted as a polite way of declining an invitation or expressing her preference not to attend.

While it is unclear whether Fergie actively declined an invitation or simply expressed her desire not to attend, it is evident that her absence from the wedding was a result of a combination of factors, including her personal feelings of unworthiness and a desire to avoid media scrutiny.

It is worth noting that Fergie's relationship with the royal family has been complex, and her absence from the wedding may have been influenced by a variety of factors, including her past behaviour and the dynamics within the royal family at the time.

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