Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson was able to keep hold of her royal title despite divorcing him 25 years ago thanks to rare intervention by the Queen.
In 1996 the Queen announced a new rule, meaning that ex-wives of princes could keep their duchess titles but had to drop the HRH from their names.
Duchess of York, Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson, divorced from her ex Prince Andrew in 1996, but due to the special rule, she could keep her title.
Not only this, but Fergie still lives with Prince Andrew at the Royal Lodge.
It was well documented that the ex-couple spent much of lockdown living under the same roof.
The couple married in 1986 but announced they were having an ‘amicable’ breakup in 1992.
In a move that broke Royal protocol Buckingham Palace released a statement saying: “The Queen hopes that the media will spare the Duke and Duchess of York and their children any intrusion.”
The Queen was said to be deeply upset by the split.
(Image: Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)
After the split, The Queen issued a special patent which struck Fergie from the official family ranks, specifically removing ‘The’ from The Duchess of York.
Fergie still remains ‘Duchess of York’ but will have to change back to regular ‘Sarah Ferguson’ if she remarries.
Speaking at an interview in 2015, Fergie said: “Andrew and I, we’re the happiest divorced couple in the world – extraordinary, really, isn’t it.
“We live in the same house, but then, it’s a big house, so that’s ok. But I think it’s really good that we believe in compromise and communication and compassion. And family.”
The couple held joint custody over their two kids, Eugenie and Beatrice, which could explain why the couple stayed so close.
(Image: Getty Images)
In another interview in 2018 she said: “Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other. The Yorks are a united family. We’ve shown it. You saw it at the [royal] wedding.
“We stand up for each other, fight for each other. We’re totally respectful of each other’s position and thoughts and we listen to each other… And we sit round the table and have afternoon tea together. It’s a very important part of our lives.”
After the divorce it became common knowledge that Fergie had entered into debt, something she didn’t get out of until 2011.
Fergie’s ex-husband, Prince Andrew the Duke of York remains embroiled in the ongoing scandal surrounding dead sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Metropolitan Police dropped their investigation into the allegations against the royal earlier this month, but he still faces a civil law suit in the United States.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
