Not Invited? Not Surprising

It seems there is a certain amount of controversy - read, fodder for column inches - in regard to Sarah, Duchess or York not being invited to the April wedding of Prince William and lovely Kate Middleton.

Sarah, Duchess of York

Poor Sarah, she has not been invited to The Wedding.  Some write, that she is being treated like a leper(!) while Carole Middleton's younger brother, Gary Goldsmith, the proverbial black sheep with a highly dubious perhaps, even criminal, past has been invited. What? Mon Dieu! But why?

Gary Goldsmith

According to Sarah, we are not to be bothered, since she wouldn't have been able to make it anyway... plans... private plans... overseas... As if she wouldn't have tripped over herself a hundred times to be there next to her beloved girls, the most remarkably tolerant ex-husband in the history of marriage, and the rest of the royal family for the greatest photo opp of the 21st Century. If Sarah is not part of the thrill and the glamour, not part of the family she has only herself to blame. After all, she came, she saw, she had it all.



Royal Wedding, 1986


And then she lost it all... in blazing colour... more than once...









There's no need to go into detail - Sarah has done that more than enough herself which is, indeed, part of the problem. She lacks judgment and has demonstrated over and over that she has neither discretion nor discipline. She has embarrassed herself almost as much as she embarrassed the Royal Family. The time for second and third and fourth chances is long over. Her daughters seem to have a close relationship with their mother, as they should.

Princess Beatrice, Sarah, Duchess of York, Princess Eugenie


Sarah is fortunate to have whatever position she has; whatever opportunities* she has; whatever support she has from Prince Andrew. 





As for the errant Uncle Gary? Who knows? He may fade quietly into the background; he may be the source of obnoxious, highly profitable news items for years to come. The Middletons, as a family, have shown good sense and discretion and have generally behaved very well - perhaps Uncle Gary can, and will, be managed. Perhaps not. For now, he's on the list of invitees and will be there in April, an unknown if dubious character, while Sarah, whom we do know, will be... overseas.




*I was very tempted to write "oprahtunities".