Why Princess Beatrice Refused To Leave Home Amid Sarah Ferguson’s 2010 Scandal

Princess Beatrice was deeply affected by one of Sarah Ferguson’s scandals that she refused to go out for days. In 2010, the Duchess of York fell prey to “Fake Sheikh” Mazher Mahmood, who secretly filmed the mom of two while saying that she could facilitate access to Prince Andrew’s life in exchange for a huge sum of money.

Following the shocking incident, Sarah revealed how devastated she was over what happened. She also apologized for causing any embarrassment to her family. But it was her eldest daughter who was most affected by what transpired.

During an interview with American journalist Edward Klein in 2011, one of Princess Beatrice’s closest friends said that the princess was deeply embarrassed because her mom took money to introduce an undercover reporter to her dad. Prince Andrew and Sarah have been divorced since 1996, but they have stayed friends.

“A friend went to the Royal Lodge to comfort Beatrice, who wouldn’t leave the house because she was so ashamed and didn’t want to have to deal with the press,” the source said. “The friend spend two nights with her while she cried,” the source added.

But several years later, the Duke and Duchess of York managed to move past the shocking incident. Today, they are still residing at the Royal Lodge and have also maintained an amicable relationship with each other.

In fact, even though they are still legally divorced, Prince Andrew and Sarah still attend some royal engagements together. They were both in attendance at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s royal wedding on Oct. 12, 2018. Most recently, they also attended the Royal Ascot with Queen Elizabeth II.

During an interview with Hello! magazine, Sarah also responded to speculations that she and Prince Andrew are planning on marrying each other again. She said that she and her ex-husband are bigger than friends.

“We work in unity and Andrew and I are focused on being good parents together,” Sarah said. “We are bigger than friends. We learn from each other, support each other and understand it’s about communication, compromise, and compassion,” she added.