Sarah Ferguson at Balmoral with Prince Andrew – how often has Duchess of York been before?

Sarah Ferguson, 59, is enjoying a right royal holiday with former husband, Prince Andrew, also 59, at the crown’s official residence Balmoral Castle. The pair will be joined by their children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as the royal family comes together for a seasonal celebration. Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and has been a part of the royal family’s portfolio since Queen Victoria’s reign. The Queen uses the property as her summer retreat and Fergie’s invite has been seen by some as another signal she is back in the royal fold.

Fergie, who married Prince Andrew in 1986, had a six year marriage to Prince Charles’ brother before she filed for divorce.

It is unclear exactly how many times she has visited Balmoral, yet at the least it is likely to have been every year throughout her marriage to Andrew.

More particularly, the pair were invited to stay at the Queen’s summer retreat over the past three summers, so that would make nine trips in total.

The pair were spotted arriving separately during the most recent trip, during which it is thought they will spend a week there.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Duke of York’s travel to Scotland was paid for privately. Balmoral is The Queen’s private home so we wouldn’t comment on who may or may not be staying there.”

The news comes shortly after ITV’s royal correspondent Chris Ship claimed the couple were unofficially back together.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams added the pair had never left each other and were always close, but was unsure whether the couple would remarry.

Meanwhile, talking of the royal’s holiday spot, the Queen’s granddaughter Eugenie opened up about just how special Balmoral was to her grandmother.

In ITV documentary Our Queen At Ninety, she said: “Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs – and people coming in and out all the time.

“It’s a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run.

“It’s the most beautiful place on earth,” she added. “I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands.”

Meanwhile, Fergie’s official job recently came to light.

She runs multiple businesses, writes books, and spends her time attending charity events and other social engagements.

The Duchess has worked with many charities aimed at children, and in 2018, she merged her charity foundation with Street Child, an organisation run by Tom Dannatt in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, of which Sarah has become a patron and her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, are the ambassadors.

Last month, Fergie carried out three royal events in one week. She kicked off the week at the opening of the Victorian Fayre at the Royal School, where she met Canon Martin Poll and Headmistress Bev Coombridge.

For day two, she headed back to the school for an awards ceremony. And on day three, Sarah hosted a lunch for Children’s Air Ambulance.