Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding triggered ‘great regret’ for senior royal

Prince William and Princess Kate’s wedding was a great cause of celebration for royal watchers across the country, but there was one senior royal who viewed the regal proceedings through slightly more jaded eyes.

Sarah Ferguson, Prince William’s aunt, was not invited to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, from which ‘ordinary’ girl Kate emerged a fully-fledged princess and future Queen of England. It made for a spectacle straight out of a fairytale but for Fergie, whose own marriage ended in scandal and divorce, the sight evoked a feeling of ‘great regret’ as she remembered her own time as a young bride entering The Firm.

The Duchess of York, now 65, had known her now ex-husband Prince Andrew since childhood when they would reportedly play tag together. They were reintroduced as adults by her future sister-in-law Princess Diana, who rightly predicted they would get along famously, and suggested the future duchess be invited to a Royal Ascot party at Windsor Castle in the summer of 1985.

A whirlwind romance ensued, and in February 1986, Prince Andrew popped the question at Floors Castle in Scotland. They were married that summer, at Westminster Abbey, and just as they would one day do for Kate, the public turned out in droves to wish the 25-year-old redhead well.

Sadly, it’s now a day mum-of-two Fergie looks back on through a bittersweet lens – knowing full well the dramatic twists and turns that awaited her smitten younger self.

Speaking on the US-based TV show, The Daily, Fergie, revealed that William and Kate’s wedding had triggered ‘great soul searching on regret’. She explained: “I was that bride and at 25 years old, I went down the aisle of Westminster Abbey.”