A surprising guest joined the Royal Family Christmas walkabout this year – and it was their first appearance in 32 years

The Royal Family are known for their traditions – and sometimes they’ve been accused of being out of touch or unrelatable with how closely they stick to rules, regulations, and protocol.

From their incredibly old-fashioned Christmas dinner to their “Christmas free for all” on Christmas Eve as a nod to their German heritage, they tend to stick with what’s come before.

However, slowly but surely under King Charles – who delivered a history-making second Christmas speech as monarch on Christmas Day – things are starting to change.

And this was never more explicit than with the families second Christmas under his reign – and the guests who received an invite from His Majesty.

For the first time in 32 years, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, joined her family for Sandringham walkabout.

Joining the likes of the Princess of Wales in her stunning all-blue outfit, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Anne, Sarah beamed as she greeted well-wishers and walked with her daughters and their partners. 

For her triumphant return to the inner circle of the Royal Family, Sarah, understandably, might have been feeling a touch nervous which is why her choice of outfit was very telling.

Dressed in a gorgeous green ensemble, which included a quirky peacock feather style headpiece, Sarah’s choice of colour has a sentimental and empowering connection for her – having worn it to the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.

She told the Daily Mail at the time, “Mum had carried the handbag at my wedding to Prince Andrew and the admission tickets were still in it. They were green - which was why I wore green on the day.”

The walkabout on the royal estate is a hallowed tradition for fans of the royals, who flock to the Norfolk estate to chat with and greet the royals as they attend a church service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene.

The walkabout and church service is often considered something of a litmus test for who is really “in” with the family.

Charles’s seasonal goodwill to invite the Duchess of York back into the fold, getting to walk alongside her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie is a step away from the stricter rules which originally saw her ousted back in the 1990s, with her last walkabout taking place in 1991.  

Sarah was married to Prince Andrew from 1986 until 1996, but a dissolution in her marriage to the Duke of York and subsequent controversies including a front-page scandal with John Bryan saw her essentially shut out from the likes of Prince Philip and the late Queen.

Though the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly thought of her former daughter-in-law fondly – with Fergie inheriting her surviving corgis - she was never included in things like the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, or invited back for Christmas.

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Charles’s gesture, according to one expert, was for one sweet reason.

Robert Hardman, author of Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, told the BBC the monarch wanted to show his affection for the Duke and Duchess of York's daughters.

“Life moves on. I think it's a sort of readjustment. You had the king in his (Christmas Day) speech talking about compassion. Fergie was out in the cold, if you like, really ever since the breakdown of her marriage back in the mid-90s. And there she was yesterday.”

“She's always been really close to her ex-husband, but particularly, I think, the king is very fond of his nieces, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. This is a way of showing that.”