Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson made a rare return to public life today as they arrived for the christening of their granddaughter Athena.
Princess Beatrice, 37, and her property developer husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, will bring close family and friends to the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace where their second daughter Athena – born several weeks prematurely in January – will be baptised.
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank have also arrived at Clarence House for the event, alongside European royals, including Princess Nina of Greece and Denmark, 38, who is a godmother.
Singer James Blunt, who is a long-time friend of Beatrice, was also pictured arriving at the royal palace this morning.
It is understood the King was invited but is not expected to attend – although he has no official engagements listed today – while Princess Anne is unable to go as she is visiting The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Sovereign’s Parade at Camberley, in Berkshire.
Princes George and Louis were also christened in the Chapel Royal, but the Waleses are not expected to be there.
It is the first time the former Duke and Duchess of York have stepped inside a royal palace since they were stripped of their titles after fresh revelations about their relationships with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier this week a source told the Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s going to be a royal occasion but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there.’
Beatrice is said to have remained close to her mother Sarah during the turbulence of the Epstein saga, but relations with her father are understood to be more strained.
An insider said: ‘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.’
Andrew was stripped of all his royal titles in October after a leaked email published by the MoS proved he lied in his interview with BBC’s Newsnight when he claimed he ‘never had any contact’ with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after they were pictured together in New York in December 2010.
It is thought Athena would have been christened earlier this year, had it not been for the painful scandal engulfing her grandparents. Her sister Sienna, now four, was baptised in 2022 within six months of her birth.
Andrew will not appear in any official photographs from the christening and will avoid cameras outside the chapel.
A source 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.’
Speaking about the birth of Athena, who was born several weeks premature on January 22, she said it can be ‘very lonely’.
‘I think so often, especially as mums, we spend our lives feeling we have to be perfect,’ Beatrice told the special edition of the Borne Podcast.
‘When you are faced with that moment of learning your baby’s going to come a bit early, it can be incredibly lonely.
‘And even now, talking to some of the mums who know about my work with Borne, they feel this sense of life-changing relief that can come with knowing that there is an organisation that is supporting the research… and asking some of these important questions.’
Beatrice was due to give birth to her second daughter in early spring, but in December received medical advice not to travel long distances, with doctors said to have warned that a premature arrival was a possibility.
