05 April 2023 , 16:52
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Sarah Ferguson has said the late Queen helped Prince Andrew through the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, showing a "strong family unit" despite public outrage.
The Duchess of York, who was married to Andrew for 10 years and remained close to him after their divorce in 1996, said the Duke of York was helped "through a very tricky time" by her, their daughters, as well as Queen Elizabeth.
Andrew stepped down from royal duties and was stripped of his military affiliations and patronages in the wake of a sex scandal last year.
Virginia Giuffre alleged she was sexually abused by Prince Andrew in three locations, the first at Ghislaine Maxwell's London home, then Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, and then in the Virgin Islands.
The wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 (Getty Images)Prince Andrew denied the allegations against him and later came to an out-of-court settlement with his accuser, reportedly worth around £9.8million.
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Sarah Ferguson said the late Queen was "amazing" and supported her son Andrew.
Talking about herself and her daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, the Duchess of York explained: "The three of us have helped their father through a very tricky time."
She told the Independent: "And don't forget also that his mum was amazing.
"The Queen and I, when she was alive, we both bookended him to help him through this.
"So, we're a very strong family unit. No one can break the York family."
The Queen helped Prince Andrew through the Epstein scandal, Sarah Ferguson said (Getty Images)Talking on ITV's Loose Women, Fergie added she does not expect an invite to King Charles' Coronation next month and she has other plans for the day.
In a separate interview with OK! magazine, Fergie said she loves being a grandmother and she is modelling herself on Super Gran.
She added: "I love being with them and how it brings out my inner child. My grandchildren seem to find me very funny. I love indulging them, too."
However, she admitted: "I get in trouble for giving them sweets."