Sarah Ferguson has shared a Christmas message thanking everyone for their kindness and support this year as she walked with the late Queen’s corgis.
The Duchess of York, wearing a black coat and skirt, shared the video of her and the two dogs on her Instagram page on Christmas Eve.
In the video, the Duchess said the season was a time of reflection and offered “a huge hug of kindness” to all her supporters.
Her husband, Prince Andrew, was given two dogs by her late Majesty when she died, but the prince does not want to walk any of them because he is too ‘demoralized’ by life.
It comes after the prince withdrew from his membership of the royal family at Christmas.
The beleaguered Duke of York voluntarily decided to miss the annual celebrations in Norfolk, along with his ex-wife, after a ‘close confidant’ of his turned out to be an alleged Chinese spy.
It is believed the couple will likely remain at Royal Lodge.
Ms Ferguson said in the video: ‘It’s a time of reflection and I just want to say thank you and a huge hug of goodness and kindness to those of you who have been so kind and so supportive.
The Duchess of York, wearing a black coat and skirt, shared the video of her and the two dogs on her Instagram page on Christmas Eve
It’s believed Prince Andrew is so fed up with his fall from grace that he ‘refuses to walk with the late Queen’s corgis’
The monarch – who owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis throughout her life – was often accompanied by Fergie on walks around the grounds of Windsor Castle towards the end of her reign.
‘People all over the world feeling depressed or sad [can] just have some happy bubbly from us here, we’ll send you so much.
“You just have to continue to show light and turn to the light and find the joy and say thank you, and I really think that’s so important, so thank you.”
The Daily Mail previously revealed that His Majesty did not want to ban his brother from attending the meeting, but hoped he would ‘do the decent thing’ and decide to stay away in light of the growing spy scandal.
Clearly, the King and Queen were hoping that none other than the Duchess of York would come to their rescue and save the family’s festivities this Christmas – and it looks like she has.
Their Majesties had privately made it clear that it would be a ‘blessing’ if Sarah – still known to them as ‘Fergie’ – convinced her ex-husband to ‘see sense’ and tactfully withdraw from public meetings .
This followed the unraveling of another scandal in which it was revealed that a ‘close confidant’ of the duke was an alleged Chinese spy who had been banned from Britain following an investigation by Mi5.
Yang Tengbo, 50, was so close to the prince that he visited Buckingham Palace twice and entered both St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle at the prince’s invitation.
It was believed that the king was furious with his brother for plunging the family into yet another scandal.
Although the Duchess has been at the center of several royal scandals over the years, Charles and Camilla – like Queen Elizabeth before them – ‘adore’ her in their hearts.
In the video, the Duchess said the season was a time of reflection and offered “a huge hug of kindness” to all her supporters.
The Duke of York was given two dogs by her late Majesty when she died, but the 64-year-old won’t walk any of them because he is so ‘demoralised’
Alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Andrew and mixed up with other British establishment figures, insists he ‘did nothing wrong or illegal’
In an interview last weekend, Sarah likened herself to a “caretaker for a sad man” and also spoke of her love for the king and his kindness towards her.
It is believed the couple remains at their home in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Meanwhile, MailOnline understands that their children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, had already made plans to spend the holidays with their respective in-laws.
In an interview last weekend, Sarah likened herself to a “carer for a sad man” and also spoke of her love for the king and his kindness towards her.
With all the scandals that have engulfed Andrew, this has taken its toll, even to the point where he ‘refused to walk with the late Queen’s corgis’.
Instead, he would ask the footmen to take the dogs around the grounds of Windsor Castle, along with his five other dogs that he shares with his ex-wife.
A source told the Sun: ‘He is so down and demoralized that he hasn’t even been able to motivate himself to take the dogs for a walk.
“He used to do it regularly, but lately he can’t even bring himself to go out.”