The former Duke and Duchess of York will attend their first royal event this week after their titles being stripped.Hanisha Sethi and Eilidh Farquhar Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
10:39, 07 Dec 2025
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are set to make their royal return next week.(Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who have been royally exiled following their association with convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein, will attend their first event next week. This royal return will take place on Friday as they celebrate their granddaughter’s christening.
Held at the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace, Princess Beatrice, 37, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, are inviting close friends and family to attend their daughter Athena’s christening. Athena was born back in January, with the couple also sharing another daughter Sienna, who was born in 2021.
Beatrice is also a stepmother to Edoardo’s son Christopher. While this event is set to be a happy occasion for the couple and their small family, a source claims that not everyone is pleased by the invitee list.
A source said: “It’s going to be a royal occasion but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there.” The source also revealed that while relations between Beatrice and her father are strained at the moment, it would have been “cruel” not to invite him to the event, reports the Express.
They added: “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 christening will mark the former couple’s first appearance since their titles were stripped in October.(Image: Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images)
In order to get to this stage, the source shared that some “careful conversations and diplomacy with King Charles” had taken place. It is thought that Athena’s christening would have taken place earlier in the year, as her sister Sienna was baptised within six months of her own birth.
However, with the Epstein scandal engulfing Andrew and Sarah throughout the year, it seems the event had been held back until the controversy had slightly settled.
Back in October, Sarah lost her title of Duchess of York while Andrew was stripped of all of his Royal titles, including his princedom and his HRH style. The former couple are also set to be evicted from their home at the Royal Lodge, which they have lived in since 2008.
This upcoming christening therefore marks a huge return for Andrew and Sarah into the royal spotlight as they prepare to “move to alternative private accommodation”.
While it has not been confirmed where Fergie will be moving to, Andrew is set to move into a property on the Sandringham estate.
While the former prince has also strongly denied any wrongdoing, his connections to paedophile Jeffery Epstein has caused continual problems for the Royal Family.
This will be the first public appearance by the former couple since the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in September 2025.
Breatice’s sister Eugenie and her husband Jack Brookshank are also set to attend the private christening of Athena, who was born premature on January 22, 2025. Delivered at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, she weighed 4lb 5oz.
Opening up about the birth, Breatice said: “Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early… there’s so little control.”
Also set to attend the event are European royals, including Athena’s godmother, Princess Nina of Greece and Denmark.