Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank might be the official stars of this week’s forthcoming royal wedding, but for certain royalists with a predisposition for gossip, eyes will also be on the Duchess of York, arguably the most contentious royal mother-of-the-bride in history.
Sarah Ferguson, also known as Fergie, will have a front row seat at her daughter’s nuptials on Friday 12 October, much to the dismay of Prince Philip, who has allegedly never forgiven her for having brought scandal upon his family through a number of misdemeanours. Ferguson is said to have played a big role in planning the wedding at Windsor Castle, which famously was where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex got married earlier this year, and as well as the reception at Royal Lodge, the Yorks’ Windsor family home.
There has been speculation that this wedding will be even grander than that of Meghan and Harry. Rumour has it that the couple will hold a festival and funfair-themed party on the day after the ceremony, complete with "dodgems and funfair rides, coconut shies, lots of food stalls, loads of cocktails, Bloody Marys for the hangovers and a festival vibe". If there’s one thing Ferguson knows it's how to throw a good party. This is the woman who spent the summer of 2016 sailing around Greece with Kate Moss on David Tang’s private yacht.
Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales tend to be labelled as the black sheep of the royal family, but Ferguson has outdone them all. In fact, Margaret – the rock ‘n’ roller of the family - was apparently so shocked by Ferguson’s post-split behaviour that she wrote her a letter telling her, “you have done more to bring shame on the royal family than could have ever been imagined.”
It started well for Fergie. When she married Prince Andrew on 23 July 1986, she was branded a “breath of fresh air” for the royal family. She modestly described herself as “like some Mary Poppins crossed with Cinderella”. She was outgoing, rowdy, cheery and angst-free. In her memoir, My Story, she details how upon first visiting Sandringham, she apparently kicked one of the Queen's corgis to dramatic effect.
At her pre-wedding rehearsal, she kicked off her shoes. She was pictured with Diana, Princess of Wales poking the derrieres of polo guests with umbrellas. Prince Philip is said to have enjoyed her “off-colour after-dinner jokes”. She was also an even better horse rider than Princess Anne – a skill that, regardless of how useless to the majority of us, scores high among royal family. Despite the two having little in common, Ferguson was one of the few people who the Queen had dinner with on a one-to-one basis.
“The Queen still works terribly hard, and she has her boxes [of daily state and parliamentary work] to do,” explains a friend to Vanity Fair back in 1987. “When the day is over she likes to relax and be comfortable. Chatting to Sarah is probably a little like chatting to a younger version of the Queen Mother. She’s cosy.”
And then it all went wrong. The Duchess and Duke of York announced their separation in 1992. Ferguson alleged in her book that the Queen urged her to stay, but then the former was pictured on holiday sunbathing topless while having her toes sucked by her new boyfriend, US businessman John Bryan, while the then two-year-old Eugenie watched on. Andrew and Sarah finally divorced in 1996. The Duchess was exiled, and so began the start of her, to put it politely, ‘money issues’.
She consequently followed up her first scandal by appearing on a tone-deaf documentary called The Duchess on the Estate, whereby she appeared as a wealthy benefactor at the Northern Moor estate in Manchester. Here, she offered working class families life advice, highlighting that she’d “noticed a lot more violence, I've noticed bad language”, before presumably heading back to London to her luxury apartment. There were also ad deals with Weight Watchers and Avon.
She’d managed to keep a low profile for a few years and then in 2010, her reputation suffered another weighty knock. The former royal was secretly filmed by undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood allegedly attempting to sell access to the Duke of York for £500,000. She was seen agreeing to arrange a meeting with Prince Andrew and accepting an initial sum of £25,000 telling the reporter, “I can open any door you want.” If we’re being sympathetic, her behaviour proved just how hard-up she was, but simultaneously demonstrated an indefensible, grubby greed.
And yet, the Duke and Duchess of York still live with one another in their Windsor family home. In 2013, when Ferguson was asked if remarriage was likely, she merely said, "He’s still my handsome prince; he’ll always be my handsome prince." Although she’s said to be allowed at royal family parties now, she’s still asked to leave by the time Prince Philip arrives, who still can’t get over the multiple scandals. Ferguson was snubbed at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011, a rejection that she must have been pained to receive given that William was her page boy.
Prince Harry – another redhead with a history of royal faux pas’ – wasn’t so hard on his aunt. He invited her to his wedding to Meghan Markle, but sat her towards the back while her daughters, Eugenie and Beatrice, joined the family pews at the front of the chapel – and also out of view of Philip. Not one to drop a grudge, Prince Charles refused to allow her to the reception.
However, this Friday, Fergie will assume her prime position at the chapel. What she chooses to wear, what she says in the speech (frankly, who isn’t hoping she’ll impart a few rowdy words at the reception) and how the fellow royals greet her will all be closely monitored.
There’s no question that the Duchess of York only has herself to blame for her disgraced royal rep, but there is something likeable about her gracelessness, her rowdy hockey sticks enthusiasm and enduring rambunctiousness. She is the opposite of the contained, controlled elegance that the royals expect of their women. Whether Prince Philip likes it or not, Fergie is finally back in the game.
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