Sarah, Duchess of York was driven into Buckingham Palace today four hours after the arrival of her embattled former husband Prince Andrew.
The 60-year-old appeared to be in good spirits as she was photographed smiling while speaking to a Metropolitan Police officer from the back of the car in London.
She arrived just before 4pm, about four hours after Andrew was seen in public for the first time after his dramatic decision to step down from official royal duties.
SArah Ferguson (pictured at Aberdeen Airport today) has come out in defence of Andrew despite him being mired in controversy over his friendship with Epstein
Prince Andrew arrives at Buckingham Palace and gets out of his Bentley around noon today
The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace this afternoon after carrying out investitures
Sarah, Duchess of York and her ex-husband Prince Andrew at Royal Ascot in Berkshire in June
The Duchess of York visits the flooded areas of Venice during a trip to Italy last Friday
Last Friday, Sarah came out in support of Andrew, who quit his life as a working royal last night over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
She took to Instagram and Twitter to describe him as a ‘true and real gentleman’ and a ‘giant of a principled man’, and posted several photos of Andrew in uniform.
She divorced him in 1996 but still lives with him in an unusual domestic arrangement at Royal Lodge in Windsor, and has never dismissed rumours they may remarry.
Andrew was pictured leaving the family home of Royal Lodge at Windsor Great Park in Berkshire in a Bentley this morning, before later arriving at Buckingham Palace.
In her statement last Friday, Sarah did not refer to the interview – which was shown the following day – or the claims being made directly, but made clear her feelings.
The Duke leaves the Royal Lodge family home at Windsor Great Park in Berkshire this morning
She said: ‘It is so rare to meet people that are able to speak from their hearts with honesty and pure real truth, that remain steadfast and strong to their beliefs.
‘Andrew is a true and real gentleman and is stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness and goodness of always seeing the best in people.’
‘I am deeply supportive and proud of this giant of a principled man, that dares to put his shoulder to the wind and stands firm with his sense of honour and truth. For so many years he has gone about his duties for Great Britain and the Monarch.’
The duchess, who will no doubt have been consulted over Andrew’s decision to give the BBC an interview in a bid to clear his name, had said he should ‘stand firm’.
Last Friday, Sarah came out in support of Andrew with a statement posted on social media
In her statement on Friday, she added: ‘I am with him every step of the way and that is my honour. We have always walked tall and strong, he for me and me for him.
‘We are the best examples of joint parenting, with both our girls and I go back to my three Cs…communicate, compromise, compassion.’
The couple have proudly ‘co-parented’ their two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Beatrice has announced her intention to marry boyfriend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi next year and it is thought the forthcoming wedding may have encouraged Andrew to speak out, as he would like nothing more than to walk his daughter down the aisle.
But in the aftermath of the Queen’s second son announcing he would step down from public duties for the ‘foreseeable future’, Huddersfield University confirmed the duke would be relinquishing his role as its chancellor.
In a statement the university said: ‘Due to the circumstances and in discussion with the university, he has decided to step down immediately to allow the university to appoint a successor.’
Huddersfield University Students’ Union said in response: ‘We know that students will welcome this decision, and the Students’ Union would like to offer our sympathy to the victims of Epstein and all those affected by sexual abuse across the world.’
Asked if the Duke was right to step back from public life, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters on a visit to Bedfordshire: ‘All I can say is that it is very important that all the victims of Jeffrey Epstein get justice and the law must be done and must be seen to be done.’
A US lawyer representing some of Epstein’s alleged victims has raised the possibility of questioning the duke under oath over his relationship with Epstein.
Andrew appears to hold Jeffrey Epstein’s victim Virginia Roberts, then 17, by the waist as the sex offender’s lover Ghislaine Maxwell looks on in 2001 in London
Discussing how Andrew could become involved in any legal process, Lisa Bloom said that, as an attorney, she had ‘the right’ to seek a statement from individuals she deemed to have ‘relevant information’.
The duke is to continue working on his flagship project Pitch@Palace but will do so privately without the support of Buckingham Palace, it emerged.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said on Thursday: ‘He will continue to work on Pitch but will look at how to do that outside and entirely separate from the palace.’
It is thought the duke will not have any involvement with the dozens of charities, organisations and military units he is associated with.
These are the 35 businesses that support the duke’s project Pitch@Palace. Ten have now quit – five businesses (Advertising Week Europe, KPMG, Aon, Standard Chartered and Gravity Road) and five academic institutions (Bond University in Queensland, Melbourne’s RMIT, University of Wollongong, Murdoch University in Perth and Fondation Rideau Hall in Canada). The Stelios Foundation and the Chinese Li Ka Shing Foundation are the only two standing by him
Graham Smith, of Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, called the move ‘more smoke and mirrors’.
‘Prince Andrew’s decision to step back is more smoke and mirrors to protect the image of the monarchy,’ Mr Smith said.
He added: ‘Several years ago Andrew was stripped of his trade ambassador title, but then continued to fly around the world representing this country.
‘The palace needs to clarify exactly what they mean by him stepping back and explain why he isn’t stepping down.
The Duke of York speaks to BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis in an interview shown on Saturday
‘Otherwise, this just looks like more spin to cover royal backs than real accountability.’
In his statement, Andrew said he was ‘willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required’.
Ms Bloom told BBC Breakfast: ‘It’s not going to be easy to subpoena someone like Prince Andrew, he’s obviously not walking down the street where a process server can just hand him a piece of paper, it’s a lot more complicated.
‘If he refused to come, we may have a diplomatic situation between (the UK) and (the US). I hope it doesn’t come to that.
Andrew made the bombshell statement about stepping back yesterday after mounting pressure after his interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
‘I take him at his word that he says he is going to co-operate, and I hope that’s what’s going to happen.’
Pressure had been mounting on the duke in the wake of his so-called ‘car crash’ Newsnight interview, with a growing number of multimillion-pound businesses, universities and charities distancing themselves from him and Pitch@Palace.
He faced criticism for showing a lack of empathy towards Epstein’s victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with the financier, who took his own life while in prison earlier this year awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
In the interview, the duke denied claims that he slept with Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, on three separate occasions, twice while she was underage.