Born on October 15, 1959, Sarah Margaret Ferguson, famously known as Fergie, secured a place
for herself in both history books and pop culture when she married Prince Andrew, Duke
of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II.
Though the marriage was short-lived, Ferguson is still as relevant as ever.
Besides being distant cousins, Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson also enjoyed a close friendship,
though it was not without its complications.
As Diana navigated life as a royal after marrying Prince Charles, Ferguson was reportedly her
confidant and closest friend.
In 1996, Ferguson wrote in her autobiography,
"[Diana] was two years younger than I, and I strove to support and protect her as I would
a younger sister, as I still do today, as a best friend."
However, the friendship wasn't all rainbows and butterflies.
Diana reportedly told her biographer, Andrew Morton, that Ferguson was so much better at
schmoozing with the royal family that it left Diana, quote "looking like dirt."
While it's safe to say Princess Diana never looked like dirt a day in her life, it's comforting
to know that even royals get jealous sometimes, too.
Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew on July 23, 1986, after Ferguson was introduced to
the prince by Princess Diana.
While Ferguson seemed delighted in her marriage to Prince Andrew, her newfound fame as a royal
did not come without its pitfalls - some of them very dangerous indeed, as she discovered
during a 1988 trip to America.
"A 22-year-old man brandishing an IRA flag was arrested last night after he tried to
attack the Duchess of York outside a New York City hotel"
Luckily, a security detail of federal agents were on hand to protect Fergie, who was said
to be "perfectly relaxed" about the whole affair.
Ferguson and Prince Andrew seemed to have everything, especially after their two daughters,
Beatrice and Eugenie, were born in 1988 and 1990 respectively.
But things soon began to unravel.
According to biographer Sarah Bradford, the Duchess of York found herself ill-equipped
to handle her husband's life as a naval officer, which often required him to be away from home
for extended periods of time.
As the couple drifted apart, Ferguson seemed to find comfort in the company of other men.
She and Prince Andrew decided to separate in 1992, finalizing their divorce four years
later.
After her separation from Prince Andrew in 1992, Ferguson was photographed sunbathing
topless with an American financial manager, John Bryan.
This didn't sit well with the royal family; Princess Margaret even reportedly wrote to
the Duchess,
"You have done more to bring shame on the family than could ever have been imagined."
Though years have passed since Ferguson's separation from Prince Andrew, it seems that
time does not heal all wounds.
Ferguson was notably not invited to Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011.
Fergie told Harper's Bazaar,
"I understand that they didn't invite me.
I think it's a new chapter and a fresh page."
However, Ferguson was invited to Prince Harry's 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle, leaving some
to wonder if her relationship with the royal family is finally on the mend.
In 2010, Ferguson found herself at the center of an undercover investigative journalism
exposé when she was recorded offering "access" to her former husband, Prince Andrew, in exchange
for over a half million dollars.
Ferguson apologized as soon as the tapes were released, calling it a "serious lapse in judgement."
That didn't help much, though, so Ferguson pulled out the big guns: Oprah Winfrey and
Dr. Phil.
In 2011, Ferguson partnered with the Oprah Winfrey Network for the six-part documentary
Finding Sarah in an attempt to rehabilitate her image.
We're not sure whether it worked or not, but it was certainly an eye-opening watch either
way.
"I've been labeled!
I've got a label!
I thought I was just a runaway train out of control.
Now I'm an addict to acceptance and approval"
Throughout all of the trials and tribulations that have followed Sarah Ferguson in the wake
of her separation and subsequent divorce from Prince Andrew, one thing has remained constant,
she shares an unmistakably close bond with her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
In a 2011 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ferguson didn't hold back for the sake of
modesty, saying,
"The only thing I know I've done 100 percent right is be a good mother.
I'm proud to say I'm the best mom I know."
And despite all the negative publicity over the years, the general public certainly seems
to have forgiven her, cheering her loudly at Princess Eugenie's October 2018 wedding
to Jack Brooksbank.
Welcome back, Fergie!