Sarah Ferguson revealed that her decision to divorce Prince Andrew was driven by financial independence, despite his dismissive priorities and alleged affairs
Nearly three decades after her split from Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson’s real reason for choosing to end their marriage has resurfaced amid her enduring bond she still shares with the disgraced royal figure.
Fergie officially divorced Andrew in 1996 but has continued to defend and support him through years of controversy. Despite no longer being a member of the Royal Family, she remains one of his closest allies, even sharing his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park.
It comes as Andrew has relinquished his use of the Duke of York title and royal honours amid the long-running fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir. He will retain his title of Prince, as he is entitled to as per his birthright.
The titles and honours he will no longer use include his wedding day titles – The Duke of York, the Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh; his Knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO); his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
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He will also not be able to wear the Garter robes he was seen in at Charles’s coronation. Although Andrew is relinquishing his dukedom, he still technically retains it – and it can only be removed by an Act of Parliament, should his brother issues Letters Patent.
Last month, Sarah was also dropped by numerous charities after a 2011 email revealed she called convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her “supreme friend”. This month, she also lost her “Duchess of York” courtesy title after her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, relinquished his royal titles.
Sarah and Andrew’s relationship began in 1985 when they were introduced by Princess Diana. The pair married a year later, but royal life quickly exposed deep cracks within their marriage.
According to a biography about Andrew, the prince’s naval duties kept him away from home for long stretches and for one of the years of their marriage, he was reportedly home for just 42 days. He allegedly made his priorities clear to Sarah, telling her: “I am a Prince, then a naval officer, then a husband.”
The marriage was further strained by rumours of affairs on both sides. Andrew was said to have slept with “more than a dozen women” before their first anniversary, while Fergie faced speculation over her friendship with Texas oilman Steve Wyatt.
In 1992, a tabloid photograph showing the Duchess having her toes sucked by her “financial advisor” sent shockwaves through the monarchy, and the couple soon announced their separation.
Their divorce was finalised in 1996, with Sarah later explaining that the decision was practical rather than personal. “I wanted to work; it’s not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial,” she said. “So Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job.”
Despite the scandal and scrutiny surrounding Andrew, including his 2022 settlement with Virginia Giuffre over sexual assault allegations, which he has always denied, Fergie has never turned her back on him.
Writing in The Sunday Times, she said: “I travel a lot and I’ve always been able to make wherever I am home… When I’m in the UK I’m lucky enough to stay at Royal Lodge. I wouldn’t call it my home as that would be presumptuous.”
Over the years, Fergie has repeatedly praised her ex-husband. “I think the love I had for him then, is the love I still have for him now,” she once said.
“We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world… We’re divorced to each other, not from each other. My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will.”
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Source: Mirror
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