THE DUCHESS of York insisted that she would remain the "bestest of friends" with her former husband after they were granted a "quickie" divorce yesterday.
After describing the decision to divorce as "sad", the duchess, who is on a skiing holiday with her two daughters in Switzerland, said she had no plans for her future.
"It is very sad, of course it's sad. We'll take every day as it comes. Every day is a new day ... Our children are both secure and happy children because they knew their mother and father are the bestest of friends," she said.
The royal couple were granted their "quickie" divorce, as they had been legally separated for over two years, during a three minute hearing at Somerset House in the Strand, central London. The duke will apply for a decree absolute, finally ending their 10 year marriage, at the end of May.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Major, said the royal couple's divorce was sad but inevitable and stressed that it would not have any constitutional impact on the monarchy.
"Clearly it has been a difficult period for the monarchy over the past couple of years, for one reason or another, and I think everyone acknowledges that. But the strength of the monarchy is such that it will be able to overcome these difficulties and is overcoming them," he added.
The Duke of York refused to comment upon his divorce as he drove to the naval base in Dorset "where he is a senior helicopter pilot. Close friends suggested that he had always hoped for a reconciliation with his wife, despite her succession of blunders and scandals.
However, the duchess, who flew to Switzerland accompanied by a cook, a nanny and three bodyguards, said she had spoken to her husband shortly before the court hearing and he was "well".
In their agreed divorce settlement, the duchess will receive £2 million, of which £1.4 million will be invested in a trust for their children, leaving the duchess with little more than £500,000 to maintain her extravagant lifestyle and debts.
In Verbier, Switzerland, the duchess tried to make sure her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, were able to make the most of their holiday in the Alps.
The family did not stir from their chalet in the exclusive resort until nearly midday.
The modest chalet where she is now staying with her girls enjoys spectacular views over the resort village and the snow capped mountains beyond. The duchess agreed to photographs after receiving a promise that she and her daughters would not be disturbed again during their holiday.