An explosive interview from 1989 has shed new light on the early years of Sarah Ferguson's marriage to Prince Andrew, revealing a picture of isolation and deep unhappiness. The revelations come from veteran broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray, who spoke with the then-Duchess of York just three years after her wedding.
An Off-Camera Confession of Loneliness
Dame Jenni Murray has recounted her private meeting with Sarah Ferguson in the pages of Saga Magazine. The journalist was invited to a third-floor flat at Buckingham Palace, with views of the statue of Queen Victoria. She initially mistook a young woman in a pinny and mob cap for a maid, only to realise it was the Duchess herself.
"It became apparent quickly that I was talking to a lonely, deeply unhappy woman," Murray wrote. She noted that Ferguson made no secret of her concerns about her husband during their private chat, though these feelings were expressed off the record and not captured on tape.
The root of this unhappiness was largely attributed to Andrew's naval career, which frequently took him away from home. Their first daughter, Princess Beatrice, was a toddler at the time. "She was never asked to join his travels," Murray observed. "She was alone with the child and always wondered what he was up to and with whom."
The Inevitable Separation and Lasting Scandals
With such distance in their relationship, the couple's separation in 1992 – after six years of marriage – and their subsequent divorce in 1996 came as little surprise to the interviewer. However, Murray's reflections extend into the modern-day controversies surrounding the Duke of York.
Addressing Andrew's notorious association with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the radio host stated: "I can only assume Sarah must have hated Andrew's friendship with the two sex offenders." Epstein died in jail in 2019, while Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence.
Andrew has since expressed regret over his judgement in maintaining that friendship, which began in the late 1990s. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing or engaging in criminal behaviour, including having "no recollection" of meeting his accuser, the late Virginia Giuffre.
Fallout and Contradictory Private Messages
The repercussions of the Epstein scandal have been severe and ongoing. Earlier this year, Andrew was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages. Several charities have also cut ties with Sarah Ferguson over her alleged past friendship with the financier.
Ferguson publicly disowned Epstein in 2011 when his crimes became widely known, vowing to have no further contact. However, the situation was complicated by alleged leaked private emails. These suggested that weeks after her public statement, she privately messaged Epstein to apologise for distancing herself, reportedly addressing him as a "steadfast, generous and supreme friend."
The Duchess, a mother-of-two, has not denied sending the email. Her representatives have claimed it was sent under pressure and does not reflect her true feelings, adding another layer of complexity to a story that began with a lonely young Duchess in a palace flat over three decades ago.
