Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, recently stirred attention by sharing a heartfelt tribute to her late mother, Susan Barrantes, on social media. However, her post raised eyebrows as it appeared to subtly exclude her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.
The 64-year-old Duchess posted a series of images, including one from her 1986 wedding to Prince Andrew, but notably cropped the Duke of York out of the photo. The image featured only Ferguson and her parents, Susan Barrantes and Ronald Ferguson, as reported by HoneyNineNews.
This post coincided with the release of A Very Royal Scandal, a new series on Amazon Prime dramatizing Andrew’s infamous 2019 Newsnight interview. The interview, which centered on his connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, led to Andrew stepping down from royal duties and retreating from public life.
In the caption, Ferguson paid tribute to her mother, writing: “My much-loved mother Susie died 26 years ago today. She was far too young to be taken from us and I often reflect on the fact that at just 61, she was younger than I am now when she died in a cruel accident. I think constantly of her zest for life and her shining spirit… She taught me to value each and every day and to always seek to treat people with kindness. I miss her greatly.”
Prince Andrew, no longer performing royal duties, spends most of his time at his residence, Royal Lodge. Despite their 1996 divorce, Ferguson continues to cohabitate with Andrew at the property.
The Duke and Duchess of York share two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and are proud grandparents to three grandchildren: August Brooksbank, Ernest Brooksbank, and Sienna Mapelli Mozzi.
Though Ferguson’s post may have been intended to honor her mother, the exclusion of Prince Andrew in the wedding photo seems to signal a distancing, particularly in light of the public scrutiny surrounding the Duke’s past.