Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson divorced in 1996 after ten years of marriage – but the former couple continue to be incredibly close and live together at Royal Lodge
Prince Andrew’s scandals show no sign of slowing down, but one woman who has remained firmly by his side is his ex-wife.
A once popular member of the royal family who was held in high regard for his bravery in the Falklands War, the Duke’s reputation was left in tatters after his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light. And this week, Andrew has once again shamed the monarchy over his connections to an alleged Chinese spy.
It’s the latest scandal to hit the beleaguered Prince, who has made the decision to withdraw from the royals Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, as well as the festive lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday as a result of the furore.
Throughout it all, one person has never given up on him – his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. And just recently she made a surprise admission about their marriage.
“I was totally and utterly in love with Andrew. I would do it all over again, 100 per cent,” she told the Times. “He’s the best, a great man with a great heart, and kind. Our wedding was the best day of my life. But I gave up my anonymity that day. I was able to because love conquers all. It’s still with us today.
“I won’t let him down. He supports me as much as I support him. He’s supported me through thick and thin, not just marriage or divorce. We agree on the three Cs — communication, compromise, compassion.”
Andrew and Sarah have known each other since they were children but it wasn’t until 1985 that they started dating after being seated together at Royal Ascot that year.
They got engaged nine months later on February 19, 1986 – his 26th birthday – with Andrew presenting his wife-to-be with a beautiful ruby engagement ring. Their wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986 and two years later, they welcomed their first child, Princess Beatrice, followed by Princess Eugenie in 1990.
But cracks had already begun to appear in their relationship. Andrew’s naval career saw him away from the family for long periods of time. And in 1991 they split, with their divorce finalised in 1996.
Speaking to US TV host Ernie Manouse in 2010, Sarah said: “My deal was that I was marrying my man, who happened to be a prince and a naval officer. But what I got was not the man, I got the palace and didn’t get him… and the courtiers told me I had to go to Buckingham Palace and he had to go to sea. For our marriage, I saw him 40 days a year.”
In 2010, Sarah stated that if they had their time again, they would stand up to those who pushed them apart. She said: “Both Andrew and I… both of us say now if we could go back we would definitely play it differently and we should have learnt how to play the chess game differently. And maybe we have still been together because we would have said ‘no’ to being separated just after our wedding.”
And speaking to the Daily Mail in 2018, Sarah reiterated how “united” the family will always be, despite all they’d been through, and claimed she was “divorced to” Andrew, not divorced from him. “We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world. We’re divorced to each other, not from each other,” she explained. “My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will. The way we are is our fairytale.” The Duchess continued: “The Yorks are a united family. We’ve shown it.”
