Prince William Banned One Royal From His Wedding, Per Author

Prince William and Kate Middleton exit Westminster Abbey after their Royal Wedding on April 29, 2011 in London, England — (Image credit: Ian Gavan/GP/Getty Images)

Princess Kate and Prince William's royal wedding, which took place at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011, was watched by millions of viewers around the globe. But according to a royal expert, the Prince of Wales decided to ban one particular Royal Family member from his nuptials.

Royal expert Russell Myers's new book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story, detailed Prince William's decision to not invite one of his aunts to his wedding.

"As with every wedding, there were controversies over the guest list," Myers explained. "In a sign of his growing stature, and with an eye on his future position within the family, William decided his aunt Sarah Ferguson would not be welcome at the wedding."

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Elaborating on William's unexpected choice, Myers shared, "Sources claim that his decision was based on an anxiety that the [former] Duchess of York, who had been embroiled in numerous misdemeanors following her exit from the royal fold, would be an embarrassment."

Russell Myers

'William and Catherine'

Sarah Ferguson in a yellow dress and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at Royal Ascot — "William decided his aunt Sarah Ferguson would not be welcome at the wedding."

In 2025, Ferguson's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed when emails between the pair were released. As a result, Prince William's decision not to invite the former duchess to his wedding in 2011 seems somewhat prescient.

Per Myers, "Fergie, as she had come to be known in the press, had been excommunicated from the family following her 1996 divorce [from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor] and subsequent attraction to scandal."

Sarah Ferguson wearing a white blazer and black skirt and waving — "Sources claim that his decision was based on an anxiety that the [former] Duchess of York...would be an embarrassment."

In hindsight, Prince William's decision to exclude Ferguson from his wedding to Princess Kate might have been the correct call, after all.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.