Sarah Ferguson has reportedly been granted a royal funeral and a burial spot alongside members of royalty at Frogmore, near Windsor Castle.
It came as the Duchess of York returned to Sandringham for the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations for the first time in 32 years.
The Queen is said to have permitted a St George’s Chapel Windsor funeral for the duchess followed by internment at the royal burial ground at Frogmore - adjacent to the mausoleum built as the final resting place for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Frogmore is a mile from the royal vault at St George’s Chapel, where Prince Philip - who had a tumultuous relationship with the Duchess - rests.
The only monarch at the royal burial ground is the Duke of Windsor, briefly known as Edward VIII, who is buried there alongside his wife, Wallis Simpson. Their graves are set back from the other family members under a plane tree.
News of the agreement, reported by The Daily Mail, came as Ferguson was invited back to the royal estate for Christmas for the first time since an infamous series of photographs were captured of her alongside Texan millionaire John Bryan in 1992.
Frogmore Cottage— (Alamy Stock Photo)
On Christmas Day, the 64-year-old duchess, who has recently recovered from breast cancer, was reunited with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, and former in-laws, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, as they walked from the royal estate to the St Mary Magdalene church as part of a long-standing Christmas tradition.
The last time Ferguson and Andrew – who was stripped of his royal title amid scrutiny over his friendship with disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – made the walk with the royal family was on Christmas Day in 1991.
At the time, the former couple, who continue to live together in the Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, were seen walking behind Diana, the Princess of Wales, and a young Prince Harry.
This year, they were also accompanied by their daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and sons-in-law, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank respectively.
The Christmas invite was symbolic of Ferguson’s place within the royal family being restored.
Frogmore House is usually open to the public on six days each year, during which the royal burial ground may also be viewed from its perimeter.
Frogmore earns its name from the wet, marshy location the estate is built on. Frogmore Cottage was the home of Prince Harry and Meghan before they left the royal family and moved to the US.
