As Andrew and Fergie continue to navigate the fallout from the Epstein files, a separate scandal of Fergie’s has again come to light, one that led to her being excluded from a key royal event

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor kept a surprising reminder of his former wife(Image: Getty)

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor kept a surprising memento of his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, when she encountered a public scandal, it has been claimed. As the former Duke and Duchess of York continue to navigate the aftermath of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the ex-couple’s private lives have come under intense scrutiny.

Andrew has remained subject to significant media attention over his links to the late sex offender. And in February, the former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew, who demies any wrongdoing, was released under investigation.

Meanwhile, Fergie, who divorced Andrew in 1996, was found to be close with Epstein after he’d been released from prison for child sex offences. She has not been seen for several weeks.

Victoria Ward, deputy royal editor at The Telegraph, suggests some of the speculation surrounding her location has included staying with Priscilla Presley in Los Angeles, visiting “Swiss clinics”, and spending time at Andrew’s new home in Sandringham.

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It was claimed that Fergie has “properly gone to ground”(Image: Getty)

This isn’t the first controversy Fergie has found herself caught up in during her period within the Royal Family.

Back in 2010, she was captured on film selling access to Andrew to an undercover journalist pretending to be a businessman.

It happened one year before Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ wedding in 2011, and she was consequently excluded as a result.

The Daily T’s podcast host Tim Stanley alleges she “ran away to a Thai spa” so she could “isolate herself”.

He went on: “Well, apparently she stayed in this Thai spa which didn’t even have a TV in the room, and she thought, ‘I’m just not going to watch the wedding. I just don’t…I don’t want to do it to myself. I don’t deserve this’.”

Fergie reportedly “broke” and called a friend for help to find out what was happening. It later emerged that Andrew had kept a personal memento of her in his wallet during the proceedings, Tim further claimed.

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It was alleged Fergie “ran away to a Thai spa”(Image: Getty)

“But she eventually broke, rang her friend in England and got them to hold the telephone up to the TV so that she could listen to it. But she heard afterwards that, apparently, Andrew had kept a photo of Fergie in his wallet throughout the wedding.”

Speaking to US TV host Oprah Winfrey about the incident in 2011, Fergie revealed that she suffered an emotional toll due to not being able to attend with her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

She said: “It was so difficult. I wanted to be there with my girls, and to be getting them dressed and to go as a family. And also, it was so hard because the last bride up that aisle was me.”