Who Is Prince Andrew's Ex-Wife? All About Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who is affectionately known as Fergie, have quite an unconventional relationship. Although they've been divorced since 1996, the pair remain close and even live together at Windsor.

"We are the most extraordinary example of a unified family," Fergie has said about her relationship with Prince Andrew. "He is the finest man in my life. He's a great gentleman, and he's got an essence of gold. He's a nugget of goodness."

Prince Andrew and Fergie wed in 1986 and received the titles of Duke and Duchess of York upon their marriage. They had two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, before splitting in 1992.

Over the years, the former royal couple has faced many trials. Fergie was caught in a cash-for-access scandal in 2010; Prince Andrew settled a sexual assault lawsuit in 2022; and a year later, Fergie was diagnosed with breast cancer followed by skin cancer.

Here's a closer look at Sarah Ferguson and her relationship with Prince Andrew over the years.

She has known Prince Andrew since she was a toddler

Fergie and Prince Andrew first met when they were around 3 years old on the sidelines of a polo field, her parents told the Washington Post before their 1986 wedding. Fergie's father, retired army major Ronald Ferguson, and Prince Andrew's father, Prince Philip, played polo together when they were children — and her father was also the polo manager for Prince Andrew's brother, King Charles.

Princess Diana set her up with Prince Andrew

Princess Diana, who was Fergie's best friend from the time they were teenagers, was the one to officially introduce her to Prince Andrew in the 1980s.

"I said to her, 'Oh, Andrew's really good-looking,' " the Duchess told PEOPLE in July 2021. "And she said, 'Duh, Fergs!' "

It was Princess Diana who then had Fergie added to the guest list of a June 1985 party that the Queen hosted during the week of the Royal Ascot, according to the Washington Post.

"We were made to sit next to each other," Prince Andrew said in their engagement interview. "It was at Ascot, as it were, that the whole thing took off," he added.

She wed Prince Andrew on July 23, 1986

After a whirlwind romance, Prince Andrew and Fergie married at Westminster Abbey in London on July 23, 1986, followed by an appearance (and their first kiss as husband and wife) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The royal wedding came just three months after their engagement was announced in March 1986.

Prince William, who was 4 years old at the time, served as a page boy at the wedding, and Prince Andrew's younger brother Prince Edward was the best man. The York Diamond Tiara that Fergie wore on her big day was specially commissioned by Queen Elizabeth as a wedding gift.

"We married for total love. And when I went up that aisle, I had — I married my man," she told Piers Morgan in 2011.

She and Prince Andrew have two daughters

Fergie and Prince Andrew welcomed their first child, daughter Princess Beatrice, in August 1988. Their second child, daughter Princess Eugenie, followed 19 months later in March 1990.

"Every day I thank the universe for allowing me to be your mother," Fergie wrote in an open letter to her daughters in 2021. "You have always been the blood in my veins. From the time you were wee tots, you made my life complete. I look at how full of humility, laughter and joy you are in your hearts, and I marvel at you both."

She told PEOPLE exclusively the same year: "I'm self-deprecating and British. But [one thing] is I'm a really good mom."

She and Prince Andrew separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996

After nearly six years of marriage, Fergie and Prince Andrew legally separated in March 1992, with Fergie citing the demands of Prince Andrew's naval career as a primary cause. According to an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Fergie revealed that they only saw each other 40 days out of the year during the first five years of their marriage.

The couple later divorced in 1996 so that Fergie could have a career.

"I didn't want a divorce but had to because of circumstance," she told 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."

They're amicable exes

Though Fergie and Prince Andrew have been separated for nearly three decades, the pair have remained close friends over the years. They raised Eugenie and Beatrice together, and Fergie continued to live in the family's home — the Royal Lodge at Windsor — following their split. The former couple even took a trip together with their daughter Beatrice in 2019 to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

"They are the best divorced couple I know," Eugenie famously told the BBC about her parents' relationship.

Fergie also spoke in support of her ex during the fallout from Virginia Giuffre's sexual assault lawsuit against him and his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"Andrew is a true and real gentleman and is stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness and goodness of always seeing the best in people," she wrote on Instagram in 2019.

She continued, "I am deeply supportive and proud of this giant of a principled man, that dares to put his shoulder to the wind and stands firm with his sense of honour and truth."

In April 2023, Fergie told Good Morning Britain that she hopes Prince Andrew will have the opportunity to rebuild his life without all the public scrutiny.

"Prince Andrew, he's such a good man," she said. "He's a kind, good man, and I think the spotlight needs to come off of him and let him get on with his life to rebuild."

She's a grandmother

Fergie became a grandmother for the first time when her daughter, Princess Eugenie, welcomed a son named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank in February 2021 with husband Jack Brooksbank.

Seven months later, in September 2021, Princess Beatrice gave birth to a daughter named Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi.

On Jan 24, 2023, Eugenie announced she was expecting her second child. Fergie celebrated the news with a sweet Instagram post of August playing in puddles, calling the announcement "Superb news." The following day, the Duchess posted a photo of herself hugging Eugenie with the caption, "So happy for my girlie."

"My children are phenomenal mothers," she said at a Hello! magazine event in October 2021. "They were great children, but now they're phenomenal mothers. And now, I have these two exceptional grandchildren all in one year."

Fergie, who goes by "granny," added, "Everyone asks me, 'How are your grandchildren?' Well, firstly, I look at my girls being wonderful mothers, and then I see these incredible beings."

She's a published author

The Duchess of York has written more than 60 books, including children's stories (such as the Budgie the Little Helicopter and Little Red series), two nonfiction works about Queen Victoria and a memoir. One of her most recent forays was into the world of romance literature: Her Heart for a Compass, a fictionalized coming-of-age story about one of her ancestors, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, was published in August 2021.

"I've written this book because it's about women's empowerment and being strong enough to stand up and be counted," Fergie told PEOPLE. "With each line and each chapter, I was in search of my own heart."

She started her own charities

She founded Children in Crisis in 1993 after being inspired by a young girl with cancer named Anya whom she met during a 1992 trip to Poland. The organization, which has since merged with Street Child, focused on educating children, rebuilding schools and training teachers in areas such as Afghanistan, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In 2020, the Duchess of York also launched Sarah's Trust, an organization that works to connect philanthropists with charities in need.

"It has certainly made me a better mother to my daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, giving me a sense of perspective, and allowing me to encourage them to use the platform they have to get involved in charitable work," the Duchess of York wrote about her charitable work in 2018.

She added, "It has probably saved my life, too, by giving me purpose through hard times. As my grandmother always said, 'When you feel bad about yourself, go out there and do something for somebody else.' "

Queen Elizabeth was her "greatest mentor"

Fergie maintained a close relationship with her former mother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth, calling her "the person who believes in me" and her "greatest mentor."

"I think to myself that honestly, my mother-in-law has been more of a mother to me than my mother," she told the Tea with Twiggy podcast in August 2021. "I absolutely admire the incredible way Her Majesty is so modern ... and how flexible, and how understanding, and how forgiving and how generous."

Following Queen Elizabeth's death, the Duchess of York shared that she was "heartbroken" over the loss.

"To me, she was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend. I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce," Fergie said candidly. "I will miss her more than words can express."

Fergie attended Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Sept. 19, 2022. She arrived alongside members of the royal family, however she was not part of the procession.

Fergie spoke fondly of the Queen's memory again in March 2023. "She was so brilliant at putting you at ease. She had the most incredible faith of any single person I've ever met," the Duchess of York told PEOPLE. "She just knew what to do. She knew how to make people feel good. She never took it onboard as about her. It's about the monarchy, about making someone feel good. She was my total idol."

She and Prince Andrew adopted Queen Elizabeth's corgis

After the Queen's death, Fergie and Prince Andrew inherited the late monarch's beloved dogs, Muick and Sandy. "The corgis will return to live at Royal Lodge with the Duke and Duchess," a source told PEOPLE. "It was the Duchess who found the puppies, which were gifted to Her Majesty by the Duke."

In October 2022, Ferguson was quoted saying it is "a big honor" to look after the corgis and that the dogs are "national treasures" who have "been taught well."

Later that month, the Duchess of York marked her 63rd birthday by posting photos of herself and the adorable corgis on the lawn. "The presents that keep giving," her caption read.

While Fergie calls the corgis "total joys," she's admitted that caring for them comes with a unique challenge. "They are national icons, so every time they run chasing a squirrel, I panic," she told PEOPLE.

Still, the Duchess noted that Muick and Sandy help her feel close to the late Queen. "I always think that when they bark at nothing, and there's no squirrels in sight, I believe it's because the Queen is passing by."

She was close friends with Lisa Marie Presley

Ferguson and Lisa Marie Presley are believed to have met in 2009 and quickly became friends.

The two women were so close that the Duchess of York spoke at Presley's Jan. 22, 2023, funeral at the Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. "Sissy this is for you with affection," Ferguson said. "My late mother-in-law used to say that nothing [that] can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments, because grief is the price we pay for love. And how right she was."

She previously posted about Presley's death on Instagram, honoring her with a photo of the two friends smiling.

"You were my sissy, an amazing mother to Ben, Riley, Harper and Finley and a superbly loving daughter to Priscilla," the Duchess wrote. "You have been my devoted friend for many years and I am here for your family to support and love them."

She didn't attend King Charles' crowning ceremony in May 2023

Fergie was not invited to King Charles and Queen Camilla's crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 2023. However, she joined the royal family at the Coronation Concert, with performances from Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, on the grounds of Windsor Castle the following day.

Days after the event, Fergie posted a photo on Instagram of herself at the Coronation Concert. In the snap, the Duchess of York smiled with Eugenie and Beatrice. "I felt so lucky to have been invited and included in what was a mesmeric concert, and magical performances," she wrote in the caption. "To enjoy it all together was such an honour and I am deeply grateful."

On an April 5, 2023, episode of the ITV talk show Loose Women, The Duchess of York said she never expected to be invited to the coronation.

"I personally will be having a little tearoom and coronation chicken sandwich and putting out the bunting, that's what I'm going to be doing," she said of her coronation day plans. "Because that would make me very happy."

She was diagnosed with cancer twice

In June 2023, a representative for Fergie told PEOPLE that the Duchess of York was "recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening." The source added that she was advised to undergo surgery, which had already successfully occurred at the time of the announcement.

The royal opened up about her diagnosis on an episode of her podcast, Tea Talks With The Duchess and Sarah, which was recorded the day before her successful mastectomy operation. In the episode, Fergie recalled how her sister Jane encouraged her to do the screening.

"It was after bank holiday, and I live in this area — in the Windsor area — and it was a hot day and I didn't feel like going to London. It’s easy to put it off — 'I'll do it next week,' " the Duchess of York said. "My sister, who's wonderful from Australia, I always normally do what she says because she gets so cranky. She said, 'No — go. I need you to go. I need you to go.' "

"Thank you, Jane," Fergie added. "I think it's so important you do talk about it."

In January 2024, Fergie announced that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer. According to her spokesperson, Fergie had several moles removed and analyzed while undergoing reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy. One of the moles was found to be cancerous.

“Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after treatment for breast cancer has been distressing, but the Duchess remains in good spirits," the rep told PEOPLE.

Fergie's family, specifically her daughters, is "rallying 'round" the Duchess amid her healing journey.