When it comes to royal relationships, it’s safe to say that there is none as unconventional as that which exists between Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Despite being legally separated for more than 30 years, the duo are closer than ever; their friendship and loyalty for one another steadfast as they continue to support one another through everything that life has thrown their way.
Scroll on as we revisit the early days of their courtship through to their marriage, divorce, and where they’ve landed today.
How did Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson meet?
Curiously, the couple first met as toddlers on the sidelines of a polo field. Sarah’s father, the late Army Major Ronald Ferguson served as the polo manager to the former Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, for many years before becoming the polo manager for King Charles.
The pair later reconnected in June 1985 through Sarah’s best friend from when she was a teenager, Princess Diana. The late Princess of Wales reportedly made sure that Sarah was added to the guest list of a party hosted by the Queen during the week of the prestigious horseracing event Royal Ascot.
But her wing-woman duties didn’t stop there! Princess Diana ensured that the two singletons would be sat next to each other.
Luckily, both the handsome young prince and Sarah hit it off and the rest was history.
When did Prince Andrew propose to Sarah Ferguson?
After less than eight months of dating, Prince Andrew proposed to Sarah, affectionately dubbed ‘Fergie’ by her loved ones and the press, at Floors Castle in Scotland on his 26th birthday just before midnight.
According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, Fergie initially thought the proposal was a joke and “tried to make light of it” before her beau proposed a second time in the morning to which she accepted.
Notably, it was reported at the time that he had not been given permission to propose by his mother Queen Elizabeth II, although she did give her approval at a later date.
Prince Andrew designed a custom engagement ring for his bride that featured an oval-cut Burmese ruby surrounded by 10 diamonds.
When did Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson get married?
In true royal tradition, the Prince and newly minted Duchess of York wed at Westminster Abbey in London on July 23, 1986, followed by an appearance on the iconic balcony of Buckingham Palace where they shared their first kiss as husband and wife in front of a crowd of almost 100,000 people.
For the occasion, Sarah wore The York Diamond Tiara, a sentimental piece of royal jewelry specially commissioned by her new mother-in-law.
A four-year-old Prince William served as a page boy alongside his older cousin Peter Phillips, while Prince Edward was the best man and Zara Phillips was a bridesmaid.
At the time, the BBC reported that an estimated 500 million royal fans tuned in to watch the nuptials unfold via their televisions.
Sarah later described her wedding as one that took place for “total love. And when I went up that aisle, I had – I married my man,” she shared with Piers Morgan in 2011.
Her ivory silk wedding dress was designed by Lindka Cierach and featured a lengthy 17-foot train that had the letters ‘A’ and ‘S’ sown into the fabric with silver beads. Not to be outshone, her veil was also an impressive 20 feet long!
Do Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew have children?
Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York share two children together: Princess Beatrice (born August 8, 1988) and Princess Eugenie (born March 23, 1990).
In February 2021, the exes became grandparents for the first time when Princess Eugenie welcomed her first child, a baby boy she named August, with her husband Jack Brooksbank.
The couple welcomed their second child Ernest in May 2023. As for Princess Beatrice, she and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi welcomed their daughter Sienna into the world in September 2021.
Why did Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson break up?
Sadly in 1992 when Beatrice was only four and Eugenie was just two, the couple made the tough decision to separate.
According to Fergie, Prince Andrew’s naval career was the primary reason behind the split, the Duchess telling the media at the time that they only saw each other 40 days each year for the first five years of their marriage.
Four years later the split became official and the couple were legally divorced.
“I didn’t want a divorce but had to because of the circumstances,” Fergie shared with Harper’s Bazaar.
“I wanted to work; it’s not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial, so Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job.”
Are Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson friends?
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife are still notoriously close, so much so that they even live together!
Despite their separation, the ex-partners remained living at their family home – The Royal Lodge in Windsor – so they could raise their daughters together. The former couple still live there to this day.
“We support each other emotionally and we support each other health-wise,” the Duchess explained to Hello! in September 2017 of their relationship.
In an earlier admission at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival in 2013, the author described Andrew as her “handsome prince.”
“We really believe in being good parents for our girls. In our every day, we really respect each other and we honour each other.”
Fergie also regularly attends royal occasions with Andrew and her daughters and was famously given Queen Elizabeth’s beloved corgis to look after following her death in September 2022.
“They are the best-divorced couple I know,” Eugenie famously told the BBC about her parent’s relationship.
While in recent years Prince Andrew has been embroiled in controversy, Sarah has remained steadfast in support of her ex-husband, describing him on her Instagram as a “kind, good man” who was a “true and real gentleman” who “stands firm with his sense of honour and truth.”
