Harry/William are said to like Fergie, there was MUCH conjecture in the British Press about William insisting that Sarah be invited (Source:
Prince William invites royal outcast Sarah Ferguson to his wedding to Kate Middleton | Mail Online) and how his insistence was rejected.
Personally, I have always had my doubts about whether William 'insisted' that Sarah was invited to the wedding. I certainly concede that the 'story' made the tabloids, but to me that is not evidence of very much! I believe that William and Harry have not seen Sarah for some years; the figure of 14 years has been given by a forum member here, and although I do not know whether or not it is true, I wouldn't necessarily dispute it. For a start, I don't really know when and where Sarah would have met William and Harry in recent years. They certainly don't move in the same circles: Sarah is way over the 'Bouji's ' generation and she certainly doesn't move in adult royal circles!
Don't foget, too, how William and Catherine tried to make their nuptuals more of a 'family' wedding and less of an 'obligation occasion'. BP was always at pains to point out that William and Catherine's wedding was not something in the nature of a state occasion, and therefore the focus on the invitees would be that they were either friends of the couple and their families etc. or were people who had some connection with the organisations and charities supported by the young couple. Pehaps if William and Catherine had had a different type of wedding, an 'obligation' wedding, then
perhaps Sarah could still have been invited, but I am sorry, I still cannot see how they would have got round the Prince Philip issue. It's a very faint '
perhaps'.
Knowing how the tabloids [and to be fair, some of the other sections of the press operate!] the story about 'insisting' could well be the work of someone with an 'agenda'! For a start, the Mail story could be a bit of 'creative licence', an intelligent guess if you like. Papers do this type of thing, particularly if there is a 'slow royal news day'. Then if, in due course, Sarah
does receive an invitation, then the 'guess' has 'come off'; if she doesn't, then there is the possibility of it leading to another story ' Fergie now banned from Wedding of the year'. Which again would enable yet more column inches to be filled with Fake Sheikhs, near-bankrupcty and the like.
I am sure that if Prince William really 'insisted', then the invitation would have been issued. But plain logic tells me that there was never any chance of an invitation. Where would Sarah have sat? She could hardly have set with her daughters along with the BRF. Prince Philip would have gone apoplectic! And if she had been placed in the main body of the Church [in other words, 'the other side of the screen', where all the 'we had to invite them but they were not really our friends' invitees were all stationed: the Beckams et al. Yet think of the controversy that would have caused: 'Fergie not allowed to sit with her daughters'.
Seating arrangements aside, Sarah's mere presence at the wedding would surely have been an unwelcome diversion: focusing some of the attention from the bride and bridegroom to Sarah, as well as giving the press yet another opportunity to focus on her many perceived wrongdoings... Even if the Fake Sheikh did not make an appearance in the article, there would still have been rich royal pickings: 'Banned from the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot, Sarah never the less makes it back into the heart of the Royal Establishment'.. etc etc etc
And that is even before we get to the sort of attention-seeking outfit that Sarah might have worn. 'Mother and daughter in join York Millinery disaster'
You all get the picture.
No, in my very humble opinon there was NEVER any real possibility that William insisted that Sarah be invited. If the tabloids didn't think up the story, perhaps Sarah did? Who knows?
Just my thoughts and not meant to offend
Alex
PS - not really sure where this should be posted. As with all things Fergie, it is something of a hybrid. Perhaps Zonk will kindly move it somewhere if it felt to be insufficiently about York family matters... Thanks.