Princess Beatrice's daughter Athena was christened in a private ceremony on Dec. 12
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Beatrice's parents, former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, were among the guests
King Charles stripped his younger brother of his royal titles and honors amid renewed interest in Andrew's ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerlyPrince Andrew) andSarah Fergusonwere among the guests at the christening of their granddaughter,Athena Mapelli Mozzi.
Princess Beatrice's second daughter, born in January, was baptized in a private ceremony on Friday, Dec. 12, at Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in London.
Beatrice's parents, Andrew and Sarah, attended the event, marking one of their first joint family gatherings sinceKing Charlesstripped his younger brother of his royal titlesin late October.
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Andrew, 65, and Sarah, 66, arrived separately for the service on Friday morning and left around noon, local time,Hello!reports.
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Other guests included Princess Beatrice's sister,Princess Eugenie, and her husband,Jack Brooksbank, singerJames Bluntand his wife, Sofia Wellesley, who is reportedly one of Athena's godparents.
It's royal tradition for children to have multiple godparents, and Princess Nina of Greece and Denmark is reportedly also among Athena's godmothers.
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The former Duke and Duchess of York made their last appearance with the royals at the Duchess of Kent's funeral on Sept. 16. The ex-princeannounced that he was relinquishing use of his royal titles one month later.
A source told theDaily Mailahead of the christening, "It's going to be a royal occasion, but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there."
According to the outlet, Princess Beatrice, 37, remained close to her mother amid the scandal, but her bond with her father is more strained.
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"Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them," an insider told theDaily Mail. "However, she's worried about him. He's going through a low ebb with his mental health, and she recognizes that he dotes on his grandchildren and it would be cruel to deprive him of the chance to attend the christening."
"Some careful conversations and diplomacy with King Charles will have taken place to get to this stage," the insider added.
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Andrew and Ferguson for comment.
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Andrewstepped back from his public royal rolein 2019 following his shockingBBC interviewin which he discussed his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail the same year while charged with the sex trafficking of minors. Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of hismilitary titles and patronagesin early 2022 after a judge rejected Andrew's attempt to have Virginia Giuffre'ssexual assault lawsuitagainst him dismissed. He later settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Andrew continued to join the royals at family events, but there was renewed scrutiny of the former prince and Sarah, whom he divorced in 1996, in recent weeks. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, claimed in a memoir published posthumously that Andrew "believed having sex with me was his birthright," describing three occasions Epstein allegedly arranged for her to meet him beginning at age 17.
In addition,recently leaked emailsshowed that Andrew was in touch with Epstein after he had claimed to break off contact, while Sarah called the financier "a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family" in another recently surfaced email.
Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
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Athena is Princess Beatrice andEdoardo Mapelli Mozzi's second child together, in addition to their elder daughter,Sienna, 4, and his son from a previous relationship,Christopher Woolf, 9. Athena was born prematurely in January, and Beatrice has spoken out about the emotions that come with welcoming a preterm baby.
In a first-hand account published byBritish Vogueback in March, Princess Beatrice said, "It took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry and for life with our healthy baby to feel real."
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