Sarah Ferguson’s pal reveals what she really thinks of Beatrice, Eugenie choosing a royal Christmas

Sarah Ferguson’s reaction to her daughters’ decision to opt for a royal Christmas, rather than stick to their parents who have been stripped of their royal titles, statuses and dukedom, has just been revealed by a close friend.

This friend has come forward to deliver what many are calling a ‘caught off guard’ moment because despite seeing her ex-husband stripped of his hereditary title of Prince even, the former-Duchess’ reaction “genuinely caught people off guard because it was so measured and clear-eyed.”

Because, as her pal puts it rather than seeing it as a ‘personal rejection’, she immediately recognized the ‘reality’ her daughters are plunged into, especially with their own titles at risk, by parental association.

To their mother, its clear that “Beatrice and Eugenie are royal princesses, and if they want to protect their positions and long-term standing within the institution, they have to be visibly aligned with it at moments like Christmas,” which her friend has noted, according to RadarOnline.

This is also precisely why, behind the scenes “Sarah didn't lash out or dwell on the emotional sting,” its being said.

“Instead, there was a sense of acceptance and even grace. Sarah understands that the monarchy is larger than any one relationship, including her own with her daughters. In her mind, this wasn't a betrayal so much as an unavoidable choice, and she met it with forgiveness and an awareness that her daughters were doing what they believed was necessary for their future,” its also said.

However, that is not to say her reaction was not something that caught other people off guard because her level of calm was in this circumstance was “honestly jaw-dropping” the source admits.

“Considering many saw Beatrice and Eugenie spending Christmas with the royals and not their parents as a major betrayal” personally. But where Fergie is concerned, “she has long believed that her proudest contribution to the monarchy is the way she brought up her daughters, with a strong sense of responsibility and respect for duty.”

It is because of that very fact that, even though the decision is said to have caused her personal pain, she was able to see the ‘bigger picture’ and understood why Beatrice and Eugenie felt they had to ‘accept’ the invitation and “stand with the Crown."

Hence as her friend puts it, “rather than making a public issue of it, Sarah chose to back them privately. She stepped aside without complaint, supporting them from a distance and accepting that, in this moment, their obligations as royal princesses had to come before her own feelings.”