- Princess Beatrice will christen her daughter, Athena, on December 12 at the Chapel Royal
- Her shunned parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, are expected to attend
- This christening will mark Andrew and Fergie’s first major public appearance since attending the Duchess of Kent’s funeral back in September
For the first since they were stripped of their titles and shunned from the public eye, it seems ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are expected to attend a royal event – and apparently, other guests are “dreading” it. According to the Daily Mail, Princess Beatrice will be christening her youngest daughter, Athena, at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace on Friday 12 December, and her disgraced parents are both due to show.
“Beatrice has, of course invited her father. But things are not warm between them,” a source told the publication. “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.”
They added, “It’s going to be a royal occasion, but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there,” noting that “careful conversations and diplomacy with King Charles will have taken place to get to this stage.”
This news comes just days after Beatrice and her sister, Princess Eugenie, skipped Kate Middleton’s fifth annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, despite receiving invitations.
A source for the Daily Mail claimed the York sisters “were touched at the invitation but had previous commitments,” and Eugenie later took to her Instagram Stories to show support.
“Wish Bea and I could have been celebrating tonight with our family,” she wrote alongside a post promoting the event. “Wishing @princeandprincessofwales such a special evening at her incredible carol service. What an amazing message of hope.”
As for Andrew and Fergie, this will be their first major public appearance since they attended the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in September 2025, when they still held their Royal titles.
Corinne Sullivan is an Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers a variety of beats, including lifestyle, entertainment, relationships, shopping, and more. She can tell you everything you need to know about the love lives of A-listers, the coziest bedsheets, and the sex toys actually worth your $$$. She is also the author of the 2018 novel Indecent. Follow her on Instagram for cute pics of her pup and bébé.
