I believe that I have read that the Queen and DoE in fact attended Will and Harry's major milestone birthdays - Will's 21st comes to mind, and while the Queen paid for Beatrice and Eugenie's birthdays, did not attend because Sarah was there.
In these big birthdays, I believe that the Queen and other senior members attend for a time, and then leave the younger set to party all night, so after a certain time in the evening, the tenor of the party changes and it is for the younger set.
While the Queen can do nothing wrong in my book, if these facts are true, the Queen in fact did something wrong, IMO. I don't follow Fergie, but what has she done that is so dastardly in the minds of the BRF that she deserves such a shunning? I'm sure someone will answer me. Has she committed a crime? Is it because she cheated on Andrew? If so, are they not aware of their son Charles' first marriage and how it ended (or began, for that matter....). I have read that some of Andrew's business dealings are a bit eyebrow raising, are they not? Where does this animosity spring from?
Beatrice and Eugenie's weddings will be very, very tricky. I believe that the Queen and DoE will attend because the PR would be so bad - unless Sarah is a convicted felon or something similar, how could the Queen miss the weddings of her granddaughters, HRHs and approximately 6th and 7th in line to the throne? Their absence would not only be a real slight to their granddaughters, but it would cause a public sideshow that would ruin their days.
I would not say I'm Andrew or Sarah's greatest fan, but they've done something right - they managed to put aside a lot of personal differences and raise two daughters in a non-hostile atmosphere, something very difficult for divorced people (or some married people!
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