A consolation invite? After Sarah Ferguson was left off the guest list for King Charles III’s official coronation, she will attend another celebratory event that weekend.
The 63-year-old Duchess of York received a special “VIP” invitation to the Coronation Concert on Sunday, May 7, Us Weekly can confirm. Ferguson, who was previously married to Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, will be seated in the special, VIP section of the crowd.
His Majesty, 74, will be officially crowned as England’s monarch on Saturday, May 6, with the country celebrating the historic occasion one day later at a star-studded concert. The performance, held on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle, will feature an impressive lineup of musicians, including Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and British boy band Take That. The concert’s guest list has not further been released.
Us Weekly previously confirmed earlier this month that Ferguson — who shares daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie with the Duke of York, 63 — had been left off the guest list for Charles’ crowning ceremony.
“You can’t have it both ways,” the A Most Intriguing Lady author said during an appearance on the U.K.’s Loose Women on Friday, April 14. “You can’t be divorced and then say, ‘I want this …’ [You’re in] or you’re out.”
Ferguson married Andrew in 1986, nearly six years before they separated amid reports of the prince’s infidelity. Their divorce was finalized in 1996 as they continued amicably coparenting their daughters. The Her Heart for a Compass scribe and Andrew have also remained neighbors at the Royal Lodge regal residence, where they live with the late Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved corgis. (The queen died in September 2022 at the age of 96, with Ferguson notably attending the state funeral.)
While Ferguson will not be joining the rest of the royal family on May 6, she has already planned to have an intimate celebration at home.
“I personally will be having a little tea room and coronation chicken sandwich and putting out the bunting, that’s what I’m going to be doing,” the Tea for Ruby children’s book author told the Loose Women hosts earlier this month, revealing she’ll watch the procession via the televised broadcast. “I think it’s really great to be supportive big time and then when all the family come home, I know all the ins and outs from commentators on television!”
She continued at the time: “There’s a little old people’s home nearby and I’ve got a little van … it’s a three-wheeler. Maybe I should take the corgis down there, with the bunting and sandwiches.”
Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
