Sarah Ferguson’s return to public life has reportedly brought more stress for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as Christmas approaches.
Ferguson recently attended the funeral of a former partner who was said to have supported her and given her a place to stay while she kept out of the public eye.
According to a source, her return has added to her daughters’ concerns as they try to manage tensions between their parents.
The source said the sisters feel more loyal to their mother than sympathetic towards their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. They also reportedly see him as largely responsible for the family’s problems.
Both sisters are said to worry that spending Christmas together could make the tensions between their parents more obvious.
The source described their Christmas plans as difficult and stressful, saying the situation was taking the joy out of what should be a happy time of year.
Previous reports have also suggested that Sarah and Andrew, once described as the “happiest divorced couple,” are no longer close. Andrew is reportedly accusing Sarah of turning their daughters against him.
The source added that the family’s circumstances have changed so much that Sarah and Andrew now see a need to build separate public identities. At the same time, both are reportedly struggling to protect their increasingly uncertain places within the monarchy.
