Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are set to make their first public appearance since Andrew was stripped of his royal titles on Friday, as their granddaughter is christened.
The former Duke and Duchess of York will step inside a royal palace for the christening of Athena, Princess Beatrice’s second daughter.
The event will take place at St James’s Palace, but sources have revealed that many are concerned about the former royal’s attendance.
One source said: “’It’s going to be a royal occasion but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there.”
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson will make their first public appearance since Andrew was stripped of his royal titles
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Another insider 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.
“Some careful conversations and diplomacy with King Charles will have taken place to get to this stage.”
It is believed that King Charles was invited to the event but is not expected to attend.
Charles took the unprecedented steps to remove his younger brother’s royal titles after continuous scrutiny over Andrew’s links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite the looming appearance of the 65-year-old, a source has claimed that Beatrice will want to focus on the christening.
Princess Beatrice is preparing for the christening of her second daughter, Athena
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PAThey said: “Beatrice is determined to keep the focus entirely on her daughter, but there is no escaping the moment’s significance as this will be the former Duke and Duchess of York’s first appearance at a Royal Family event and possibly the last time he steps foot in St James’s Chapel.”
In another blow to the disgraced former royal, he appears set to walk away from Royal Lodge without receiving any financial settlement, according to information presented to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.
The Crown Estate has informed MPs that necessary repairs to the 30-room property will almost certainly cancel out any money owed to the former tenant.
Without the need for end-of-tenancy work, Andrew would have been due £488,342.21 upon vacating the residence on October 30 2026.
However, the estate body’s preliminary view suggests the cost of addressing dilapidations will effectively eliminate this potential payout when he surrenders the lease early.
In its briefing to parliamentarians, the Crown Estate stated: “Our initial assessment is that while the extent of end of tenancy dilapidations and repairs required are not out of keeping with a tenancy of this duration, they will mean in all likelihood that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be owed any compensation for early surrender of the lease once dilapidations are taken into account.”
The estate body cautioned that “before this position can be fully validated however, a full and thorough assessment must be undertaken post-occupation by an expert in dilapidation”.