Britain's Duchess of York welcome at Royal celebration

Jun 20, 2006, 13:00 GMT

Britain's Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, attended Royal Garter ceremony yesterday (19.06.06) - in a bid to mend relations with Royal Family.

The aristocrat - who used to be married to Britain's Prince Andrew - attended the ceremony, which saw her former husband and his brother - Prince Edward - installed as Royal Knights.

According to Britain's The Daily Telegraph newspaper, Ferguson was accompanied by her and Andrew's daughters - Beatrice, 17, and 16-year-old Eugenie.

The flame-haired Duchess was invited as a guest to the church service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, after a request from prince Andrew.

Ferguson was disowned by Queen Elizabeth II, after pictures of her with her new lover appeared in newspapers just months after her split from Andrew.

At the ceremony, Duchess was sat with her daughters next to the father of Britain's Countess of Wessex - away from other members of the Royal family.

The atmosphere appeared cool between Sarah and the Queen, as the flame-haired Duchess was not invited to post-event celebrations.

Neither did the 45-year-old charity worker attend her former husband's investiture in Windsor Castle.

While Beatrice and Eugenie accompanied their father in a horse-drawn carriage after the official ceremony, their mother left the chapel with the rest of the congregation.

This is the third Royal occasion Ferguson has openly attended since her divorce in 1998.

She was present at the funerals of Britain's late Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.

She was also invited for tea with the Queen at the monarch's Balmoral palace last year.

Meanwhile, the feisty aristocrat is faced with another difficult task - to teach her daughter Beatrice to drive.

The pair went for a spin in Beatrice's new BMW, which was a 17th birthday present from her father.

According to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, the sporty black vehicle - worth £15,000 - came with a personal number plate, which reads 'BEM' and stands for her full name, Beatrice Elizabeth Mary.

Copyright 2006 BANG Media International