Royal experts claim Andrew and Fergie's marriage was flawed from the start. When Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey in July 1986, the world was captivated by what looked like the ultimate royal romance. Millions watched as the then-prince, beaming in his naval uniform, kissed his radiant new Duchess on the Buckingham Palace balcony - a moment straight out of a storybook.
Scandals and Divorce
Fast forward six years, and the fairy tale lay in tatters. A whirlwind of scandals and alleged high-profile infidelities ended with their 1992 divorce. However, in a twist that baffled royal watchers, Fergie refused to play the bitter ex. Instead, she spent decades branding them "the happiest divorced couple in the world," doggedly maintaining a united front.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2018, she said: "July 23, 1986, was the happiest day of my life. Andrew is the best man I know. What he does for Britain is incredible; no one knows how hard he works for his country. My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will. The way we are is our fairy tale. Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other. The Yorks are a united family."
Behind the Facade
Yet behind the polished PR, experts argue this cosy narrative was little more than a convenient illusion. Royal author Andrew Lownie, writer of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, claimed the marriage was flawed from the start. Speaking to the Mail, he said: "It had been a convenient cover and helped generate positive media headlines but the reality is the couple very quickly after their wedding were having affairs. The only reason Ferguson continued to cadge accommodation from him was that it saved her money and burnished her royal connections and her money-making activities."
The couple's rapid romance began after being introduced by Princess Diana in 1985. But during her second pregnancy, Fergie embarked on a secret affair with American businessman Steve Wyatt. Leaked holiday photos from Morocco in 1992 forced the Queen to intervene, ultimately triggering the family summit at Sandringham that led to the couple's official separation.
Mutual Infidelity and Downfall
Infidelity, however, went both ways. According to Andrew's former driver, the royal slept with "more than a dozen women before their first anniversary," leaving Fergie feeling deeply abandoned. Later, in 1991, Fergie hit the headlines again when photos emerged of her "financial advisor" John Bryan sucking her toes in St Tropez.
While Fergie consistently romanticised their past, Lownie said "Andrew was more direct telling her to remember that he was a prince first, a naval officer second and a husband third." The longstanding arrangement was blown wide open following Andrew's downfall over his links to Jeffrey Epstein, leading to his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office and his eviction from Royal Lodge. Fergie, also facing scrutiny over past Epstein correspondence, has since maintained a low profile abroad and sought her own housing arrangements.
Symbiotic Relationship
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams exposed the former couple's dynamic as a matter of mutual interest rather than romance. He said: "The relationship between them, as I've always seen, it's symbiotic in a sense. This was the couple who, Sarah Ferguson boasted, were the 'happiest divorced couple in the world'. It seems they now want to separate. The reason is clearly that what made them perfect for each other after divorce and subsequent scandals and debts, was that they were both greedy and entitled. Now this cover is blown, they want to live apart in two homes."
