What Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson Has Said About Divorce From Prince Andrew

From the events portrayed in The Crown Season 5, the 1990s were a turbulent and troubled decade for the British royal family.

Not only were they facing unpopularity in the public eye, a global economic recession, and more, but the immediate royal family also witnessed three separations and divorces all within the space of 10 years.

The Queen's second son, Prince Andrew, was the first of three siblings to announce his plans to separate from his wife, Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson.

The breakdown of their marriage is addressed in The Crown Season 5, including the infamous toe-sucking scandal.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about Fergie and Prince Andrew's divorce in 1996.

What Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson Has Said About Divorce From Prince Andrew

Fergie and Prince Andrew began dating in 1985 and wed on July 23, 1986, at Westminster Abbey.

The pair had known each other since childhood, often attending polo matches together before pursuing a romantic relationship.

Once wed, Prince Andrew and Fergie adopted the titles, the Duke and Duchess of York, and together they would carry out royal engagements as well as official overseas visits.

They went on to have two daughters together, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, in 1988 and 1990, respectively.

However, a decade after their marriage, Fergie and Prince Andrew announced they had officially divorced in 1996, after separating in March 1992.

Prior to their official separation, their marriage was under great strain.

In an interview with Harpers Bazaar in 2007, Fergie gave further insight into her marriage problems with Prince Andrew when asked what advice she would give to Kate Middleton ahead of her wedding to Prince William in April 2011.

She shared that due to Andrew's naval career, he was away from home for long periods. As a result, they only saw one other 40 days a year in the first five years of their relationship.

Fergie said: "All I'd say is [to Kate], no matter what, stay with your man; don't let him be taken from you. Prince or no prince, love that man, and that love will hold him. I married my boy, who happened to be a prince and a sailor, because I loved him— and still do—my only condition being, 'I have to be with you.' And two weeks after the wedding, the courtiers told Andrew, who thought he'd be stationed in London, 'You have to go to sea.'

"I spent my entire first pregnancy alone; when Beatrice was born, Andrew got 10 days of shore leave, and when he left and I cried, they all said: 'Grow up and get a grip.' So don't let them tell you what to feel, how to do things, who you are. Be yourself."

On March 19, 1992, the pair announced their separation. Buckingham Palace announced that Fergie would no longer carry out royal duties on behalf of the Queen.

In August 1992, the separation hit headlines again after the Daily Mirror published photographs of American financial manager John Bryan kissing Fergie's toes as she sunbathed topless.

The photos were taken without Fergie or Bryan's knowledge and the French magazine Paris Match was ordered to pay £84,000 in damages for publishing them.

In 1996, Fergie and Prince Andrew announced their mutual decision to divorce and agreed on joint custody of their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie. Their divorce was finalized on May 30, 1996.

In 2007, when she was asked by Harper's Bazaar why she wanted to officially divorce, Fergie explained she wanted to find employment.

She said: "I wanted to work; it's not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial, so Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job."

Despite their separation and divorce, in the early 2010s, Fergie hinted at the prospect of remarrying Andrew.

Ahead of the release of her documentary Finding Sarah in 2011, she revealed to Good Morning America that she and Prince Andrew were still living together.

After being invited to stay at Balmoral Castle with Prince Andrew and her daughter as a guest of the Queen in 2013, she told The Telegraph: "He's [Prince Andrew] still my handsome prince, he'll always be my handsome prince."

In July 2021, when quizzed about her and Prince Andrew's relationship by The Telegraph, Fergie said: "All I can say is that we're happy with the way we are right now. We always say we are the most contented divorced couple in the world. We're divorced to each other, not from each other.

"We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything. I'm proud of the job we have done together in bringing up our children and sustaining a strong family unit. Our bywords are communication, compromise, and compassion."

Today, it would appear Prince Andrew and Fergie remain on good terms. Following the Queen's death in September 2022, she and her former husband inherited the Queen's beloved corgis.

In October 2022, Ferguson shared that it was "a big honor" to inherit the Queen's dogs, calling them "national treasures," according to Town and Country Magazine.

The Crown Seasons 1 to 5 are streaming on Netflix now