Sarah Ferguson earns praise for shielding royals from Andrew fallout over Christmas

Sarah Ferguson is said to have quietly “saved” the Royal Family from further embarrassment this Christmas by ensuring her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, stayed firmly out of the spotlight.

Neither the former Duke nor the former Duchess of York attended the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day celebrations at Sandringham this year, despite their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, joining the rest of the family in Norfolk.

Andrew and Sarah have increasingly been sidelined following the continuing fallout from Andrew’s association with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Both were stripped of their royal titles earlier this year and are expected to vacate their Windsor home, Royal Lodge, sometime in the new year.

According to reports, keeping the disgraced former duke away from Sandringham was seen as essential to avoid controversy during one of the monarchy’s most closely watched public moments. However, it is understood that Andrew had privately hoped to attend the family’s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, arguing that it was a private family occasion.

A source previously told The Sun that Andrew believed he still had a right to attend, saying: “Andrew told friends that it’s his family and so he should be there. It’s a family occasion, why shouldn’t he go?”

Despite his apparent determination, neither Andrew nor Sarah attended the lunch or the Christmas Day church service, sparing the royals from renewed scrutiny during the festive period.

Insiders suggest Sarah played a key role in ensuring the situation did not escalate, effectively preventing a public showdown.

This was not the first Christmas the Yorks have spent away from Sandringham. Last year, the pair also stayed away as Andrew faced another damaging scandal linked to an alleged Chinese spy.