Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson are set to step back into a royal palace to attend their granddaughter’s christening, it has been reported.
The disgraced former duke, 65, and the Duchess of York, 66, are expected to attend the ceremony on Friday, marking their first appearance inside a royal palace since Andrew was stripped of his remaining titles.
According to The Mail on Sunday, the pair will be present as their daughter Princess Beatrice, 37, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, christen their baby daughter Athena at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace.
A source told the newspaper: “It’s going to be a royal occasion, but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there.”
Another insider said: “Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them.
“However, she’s worried about him. He’s going through a low ebb with his mental health and she recognises that he dotes on his grandchildren and it would be cruel to deprive him of the chance to attend the christening.”
The source added that delicate discussions and “diplomacy” with King Charles would have been required ahead of the decision.
The report also revealed that Andrew saved his daughters up to £3.1 million by paying “peppercorn rent” on a four-bedroom apartment at St James’s Palace.
The former Duke of York reportedly rented the property for just £1,600 a month, despite similar homes in the area commanding around £20,000 a month. Over the 14 years his daughters lived there, this could have amounted to savings of up to £3.1 million.
The development comes just days after Andrew was officially stripped of his final remaining royal titles, amid an ongoing delay to his eviction from Royal Lodge.
