King Charles does not invite his former sister-in-law the Duchess of York to his coronation, The Independent has learned.

Sarah Ferguson, who still lives with Prince Andrew and is very close to him even though they divorced in 1996, will have to watch the May 6 celebrations at Westminster Abbey on TV.

The news follows Meghan’s decision to miss the coronation by staying at her home in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet while Prince Harry attends alone.

The king and queen consort’s decision means Fergie will not be seated next to her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who are 10th and 11th in line to the throne.

The exclusion is somewhat surprising as Andrew was recently invited to Windsor by the King over Easter, although it has been made clear that the Duke will be excluded from the inner workings of the Royal Family.

The refusal to invite the Duchess will cause debate among royal watchers, as some see her as a national treasure who bravely overcame financial and personal problems within the royal family, while others see her as a source of error-prone embarrassment.

“She’s been hugely supportive of Charles and Camilla and doesn’t want it to get about her,” a friend said.

“The whole day is about the new king and the success of his reign, but she has always stood up for the royal family and the queen would no doubt have wanted her there.”

The Duchess and Duke of York married in 1986 and separated in 1992. She was later estranged from the royal family after being linked to a series of scandals.

Despite the controversies, the Queen very publicly stood by her side and, in the last month of her reign, made a point of supporting the Duchess and spending a lot of time with her, even going for walks together in the park. of Windsor.

A friend said: “The Queen found Sarah warm and loyal, almost mistakenly, and also found her amusing.”

The Duchess was known to the Queen before her marriage as her father, Major Ronald Ferguson, was the director of royal polo.

Although she was not invited to spend Christmas at Balmoral due to Prince Philip’s hostility towards her, she always stayed nearby in a cottage on the estate.

Over the past few weeks, she’s been at a series of publicity launches for her new book, A Most Intriguing Lady, and has always gone out of her way to enthusiastically support the Royal Family – especially the new King and Queen.

Earlier this month, she said OK! magazine: “I think if you look at the King’s track record in areas like the environment, where he was decades ahead of his time, and the Prince’s Trust, it’s clear what an extraordinary man he is.

“How lucky we are to have him on the throne.

Buckingham Palace revealed on Wednesday that Meghan would not accept his invitation and it is believed Archie’s fourth birthday on the same date may have played a part in the decision.

Meghan’s absence leaves a gap in the seats at the coronation that could easily be filled if the king reverses his decision.

There have already been disputes over who has and has not been invited to the ceremony, with seats tight, and cabinet ministers not allowed to bring a plus one.

Lord Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton, England’s oldest barony, was invited but other ancient titles found themselves relegated to their drawing rooms.