Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, back in Royal fold with Camilla as an ally

She’s been persona non grata among the royals for years, but unexpectedly the Duchess of York has been welcomed back into the family fold.

The extraordinary turn of fortune, which would have been unthinkable if Prince Philip, or even the Queen, were still alive, came after Sarah found a powerful champion in Camilla.

A source said: ‘Camilla likes Sarah. Both are noble. They share a love of horses and Fergie will be smart enough to play Camilla and realize that she is the power behind the King. That she should be kind to them and support them.

The connection was strengthened over Christmas after Fergie was surprisingly welcomed to join the family for traditional celebrations at Sandringham.

For years, her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, would take their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to the celebrations, leaving Sarah out in the cold. This year, however, the Duchess was invited not only for Christmas lunch, but also for the next day’s shoot.

It’s notable that the Boxing Day event was traditionally hosted by Prince Philip, who would have paled at the thought of inviting the Duchess.

She was “beyond the bounds” where Philip was concerned, according to her biographer Gyles Brandreth, and “vulgar, vulgar, vulgar”, as one courtier memorably put it.

But The Mail on Sunday understands that both the Duke and Duchess of York, divorced but still living together, were not only invited to all the Christmas celebrations, but were even given the use of Philip’s old home, Wood Farm. , during your stay. The cottage on the Sandringham Estate was where Philip spent his retirement, tinkering after fitting it out with a new kitchen and upgrading the heating.

That the Yorks were granted use of the property raised surprises in some quarters, but the move signals a significant thaw in relations within the family.

“There was Fergie, in the middle of it all, chatting with the King and Queen Consort at the Boxing Day session,” the source said. Philip would never have allowed it.

“There’s a sense that whatever Sarah’s personal flaws, and in that respect she may be like Marmite, she’s been a good mother to the girls and loyal to Andrew.”

The royal family hasn’t forgotten the scrumptious photos of Fergie, taken while on vacation with her Texas mogul lover, or the way she offered access to Andrew for cash and was caught in an operation. covered in a newspaper. But while she may have been an embarrassment, Fergie has never sought to harm the Monarchy.

The unfreezing of relations with the 63-year-old duchess, aides say, is indicative of a seismic shift in the family, headed by the new queen consort. Camilla has taken over the Queen’s former rooms at Sandringham and both she and the King would prefer it to function as a relaxed family home.

A royal source said: “They want guests to have a home from home experience, similar to Dumfries House.” [the Ayrshire mansion Charles saved].

‘Camilla respects Sir Tony [Johnstone-Burt, head of the Royal Household] but maybe he sees things differently from him. The queen consort doesn’t want the houses and palaces to function like the kind of corporate hotel she might find at a motorway service station.

‘Camilla doesn’t want the towels to be put on the bed, but spread out on the rails in the bathrooms. She wants good soap, not the same individually wrapped soaps you find in a hotel.

Not all of the changes have been welcomed by Sandringham’s staff, many of whom served for decades under the previous regime.

In the ‘Big House’, a housekeeper leaves her position, as understood by the Mail on Sunday. And some say the annual session was much better when Philip conducted it.

One source complained: “Today, the number of birds is much lower because they have been overstocked.”

Previously, staff had a habit of using the back stairs and vanishing if they saw an ‘MRF’, a member of the royal family, approaching.

“But Charles walks the halls and wants to know where people are going,” a source said. He wants to stop and talk to them. They don’t get it.

If some are complaining, perhaps it is because the previous workload, with a retired Prince Philip and a ninety-year-old Queen, was much lighter.

Of the changing demands, one insider diplomatically added: ‘Old habits are hard to break. Let’s just say the Buckingham Palace and Sandringham teams are pretty busy these days.

Change is in the air within the family, too, though many experts note that Fergie never quite froze.

Despite divorcing in 1996, Andrew and Fergie’s assets are still so intertwined that good fortune for one means good fortune for the other. They still live together at Royal Lodge on the Windsor property and recently sold their jointly owned £17m ski chalet at the Swiss resort of Verbier.

The Duchess also bought a £5 million house in Mayfair, in central London.

It is not known how he financed it, but it is believed to have been with the help of Andrew. In addition, it is thought that he will rent it as an investment.

Andrew has also been lucky, at least financially.

Charles agreed to pay his brother’s estimated £3 million a year bill for private bodyguards after police protection was withdrawn.

And while there is no pressing desire on the part of the King to find a new job for Andrew, the Monarch is said to be enthusiastic about Andrew being allowed to use ‘HRH’ in his correspondence again, something previously denied.

Now Andrew even dares to hope for a return to public life.

Meanwhile, Fergie is busy promoting her second landmark romance for Mills & Boon, A Most Intriguing Lady.

However, it is the story of his own life that may ultimately prove more intriguing than any work of fiction.