EXCLUSIVE: 'Totally Delusional' Andrew Windsor and Sarah Ferguson 'Convinced Princess Eugenie's Third Child is Their Ticket Back Into Royal Family'
Andrew Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are both allegedly eyeing a royal comeback amid their daughter's pregnancy.
May 21 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew are said to have convinced themselves the arrival of Princess Eugenie's third child could help soften attitudes towards them in The Firm – despite insiders telling RadarOnline.com their hope is "totally delusional" amidst their ongoing joint Jeffrey Epstein scandal and exile from frontline royal life.
The Duke and Duchess of York, both 66, have been frozen out of the monarchy since Andrew's catastrophic fall from grace over their associations with convicted sex offender Epstein.
Embattled York Clan Welcomes Rare Joy
The princess and Jack Brooksbank expected their new baby over the summer.
Andrew was stripped of military titles and royal patronages after settling a civil sexual assault case in the United States with Epstein sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, while Ferguson has also kept an unusually low public profile in recent months.
Against that backdrop, Buckingham Palace's announcement earlier this month Eugenie, 36, and her husband Jack Brooksbank, 40, are expecting their third child over the summer has been interpreted by some royal insiders as a rare moment of positivity for the embattled York clan.
One insider told us: "Andrew and Sarah are looking at Eugenie's pregnancy as far more than simply another happy family milestone. They see it as a rare opportunity to slowly reintegrate themselves into the wider royal fold through private family occasions, christenings, birthday celebrations, and gatherings centered around the children. In their minds, the arrival of another grandchild creates a warmer and more emotionally sympathetic narrative around the York family at a time when they desperately need one."
Andrew And Fergie See Grandchildren As Royal Lifeline
Fergie hopes Eugenie’s new baby will help rehabilitate the scandal-plagued York name.
The source added: "There is a belief between them that public affection for royal babies and young children naturally softens attitudes and could be their ticket back into the royal fold. They are quietly hoping that increased family contact could eventually help normalize their presence around senior royals again. Sarah especially feels that focusing on family, grandchildren, and motherhood presents a gentler image of the Yorks than the scandals and controversies that have dominated headlines for years."
However, another insider close to palace circles dismissed that thinking as wildly detached from reality.
"There are plenty of people inside royal circles who think Andrew and Sarah are fooling themselves and are totally delusional if they believe a new baby somehow changes the institutional damage that has already been done," the source said.
They added: "Of course everyone is genuinely happy for Eugenie on a personal level, but there is a huge difference between celebrating a child's arrival and restoring trust in Andrew.
"The Palace has spent years trying to create distance between the monarchy and the fallout surrounding Andrew. That situation has not magically disappeared because there is another royal grandchild on the way. Some people think Andrew and Sarah are clinging to family milestones as symbolic turning points when, in reality, senior figures still see the reputational issues surrounding the Yorks as extremely serious and unresolved."
Ferguson Believes Grandchildren Bring Family Back Together
Insiders dismissed the family's hopeful thinking as detached from reality.
Another insider claimed Ferguson in particular sees the expanding York family as an emotional bridge back toward greater inclusion in royal life.
"Sarah has completely immersed herself in being a grandmother and genuinely considers her grandchildren the emotional heart of the family now," the source said. "At a time when so many relationships around the Yorks have become strained, controversial or publicly scrutinized, the children are the one thing she feels still brings everyone together in a natural and loving way.
"Sarah firmly believes that family occasions involving the grandchildren – birthdays, holidays, christenings and informal gatherings – help present the Yorks in a softer, more relatable light. In Sarah's view, those moments remind the public of them as a close-knit family unit rather than a dynasty constantly overshadowed by scandal, legal controversy and royal disgrace.
"For Sarah, the grandchildren represent innocence, renewal and continuity. She feels that whenever attention shifts onto the younger generation, people become less focused on the darker headlines that have surrounded Andrew and more focused on warmth, family bonds and happier memories connected to the Yorks."
King Charles 'Delighted' As Eugenie Prepares For Third Child
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King Charles expressed delight after receiving the official family news.
Buckingham Palace announced Eugenie's pregnancy on May 4, confirming King Charles, 77, had been informed and was "delighted with the news." Eugenie and Brooksbank already share sons August, five, and Ernest, two.
Ferguson has long embraced her role as grandmother to Eugenie and Princess Beatrice's children.
Beatrice, 37, shares daughters Sienna, four, and Athena, one, with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, and is stepmother to his son Wolfie, nine.
Speaking previously about Eugenie's eldest son August, Ferguson said: "Well, baby August is phenomenal. He's a very strong little chap. August thinks I'm hysterical."
She later added of Beatrice's stepson: "I'm so lucky. And I love little Wolfie, my step-grandson. He's five and I really enjoy it because he says: 'I want to go and see Duchy!'"
