Who married Sarah, Duchess of York?

Sarah Margaret Ferguson (born 15 October 1959), formerly Sarah, Duchess of York, and commonly known by the nickname Fergie, is a British author. She is the former wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and younger brother of King Charles III.

Ferguson was raised in Dummer, Hampshire, and attended the Queen's Secretarial College. She later worked for public relations firms in London and for a publishing company. She began a relationship with Andrew in 1985, and they were married on 23 July 1986 at Westminster Abbey, upon which she became Duchess of York. They have two daughters: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Their marriage, separation in 1992, and divorce in 1996 attracted extensive media coverage.

Both during and after her marriage, Ferguson has been involved with several charities, primarily focused on supporting cancer patients and children. She was the patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust from 1990 to 2025 and founded Children in Crisis and Sarah's Trust. She has written several books for children and adults, and has worked on TV and film production.

In the years following her divorce, Ferguson was the subject of various scandals that affected her relationship with the royal family. Her friendship with the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein led to the termination of her roles as patron and spokesperson for multiple charities. In October 2025, Ferguson ceased using the courtesy title Duchess of York following Andrew's announcement that he would no longer use his peerage titles.

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Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor (born 19 February 1960), formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger brother of King Charles III. Andrew was born second in the line of succession to the British throne and is eighth as of 2026.

Serving in the Royal Navy from 1979 to 2001, Andrew saw active duty as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War; he later became a helicopter instructor and commanded a warship. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, and was created Duke of York on their wedding day. They had two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, before separating in 1992 and divorcing in 1996. From 2001 to 2011, Andrew served as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, but resigned following scrutiny of his expenses and associations with controversial figures. He continued to undertake official duties on behalf of Elizabeth II until 2019.

Andrew had a long-standing association with the American financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In 2014, Virginia Giuffre said that she had been sex trafficked to Andrew by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew denied any wrongdoing, and in 2022 settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre in the United States without admission of liability. In the same year, Elizabeth II removed his military affiliations and patronages, and he ceased using the style "Royal Highness". In 2025, Charles III removed Andrew's remaining royal styles and honours, and restricted his use of titles and peerages. He vacated Royal Lodge, part of the Crown Estate, and relocated to private accommodation on the Sandringham estate. Following the release of more Epstein files in early 2026, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and was later released under investigation.

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