Sarah Ferguson breaks silence on coronation snub

Sarah Ferguson does not feel bad that she did not get an invitation to King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's coronation on May 6. She understands that she was left off the guest list because she gave up her right to attend royal events when she divorced Prince Andrew.

"You can't have it both ways. You mustn't sit on the fence. You're either in or out, but don't muck around," Fergie, as she is famously known, said during an interview on "Good Morning Britain" on Thursday.

The Duchess of York admitted that she is "not actually" offended as she is enjoying her single life and building her career as a novelist. She explained, "I am divorced, and I'm really loving being divorced to my ex-husband — not from my ex-husband, it's quite a differentiate — and also getting out there as a new novelist."

Despite not being invited to Camilla and King Charles III's coronation, she shared that she still shares a close relationship with the couple. She insisted that just because she is "not there on the state occasion" does not mean she cannot celebrate it privately saying, "In private I can be there, and that's a lovely feeling to be part of the family. It really is." She also praised the King and Queen saying they have done an "exceptional job at unifying the family."

Ferguson had already suspected that she would not be invited to the coronation during her interview on "Loose Women" earlier this month. She shared how she would be celebrating the occasion by herself saying, "I personally will be having a little tearoom and coronation chicken sandwich and putting out the bunting, that's what I'm going to be doing. Because that would make me very happy."

She added that she would love to watch it on television and appreciates how good the commentators are. Then she would eventually know the ins and outs of what happened when "all the family come back."

The duchess also reiterated that she does not expect to be invited since she and Prince Andrew are already divorced saying, "You can't have it both ways. You can't be divorced and then say, 'I want this.' You're in or you're out."

Despite not getting an invite to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6, the Duchess of York will reunite with the royal family the day after. She will be at King Charles III's Coronation Concert on May 7. According to Sky News, she was offered a "VIP attendance" at the star-studded event that will be held on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Among the performers at the concert include "American Idol" judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

The publication cited an unnamed source who claimed that Fergie "never would have expected" to be invited to the coronation. But she is "delighted" that she will join the family at the concert because "she cherishes those more relaxed times with the family and, contrary to some reports, is fully accepting of the situation."

On the other hand, the Duchess of York's ex-husband Prince Andrew is expected to attend the coronation, which is understandable given King Charles III is his older brother. It is unclear though if he has a major role to play at the ceremony. The last time he was spotted in public with the royals was during the walk to church for Easter Sunday mass, where he was seen walking behind the monarch and talking to Princess Anne.

Meanwhile, Ferguson was last seen at Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral on Sept. 19, 2022. She has since been busy doing promotional interviews for her new book "A Most Intriguing Lady" overseas and in the U.K.