She may have married a prince, butSarah Ferguson’s storyis far from a fairy tale.
Nevertheless, she married Andrew and took on a new name: Duchess of York.
For years, she was seemingly shunned from the royal family’s good books.
However, in recent years, Fergie has come back into prominence.
Fergie has certainly been on quite the journey.
Here is an in-depth look at her ups and downs over the years.
From the beginning, she was part of Britain’s upper class.
According toExpress, she lived in a rural estate named Drummer Down Farm as a child.
Nevertheless, her father always tried to remind her of her privilege.
Suddenly, her family seemed to split apart.
In an interview for the 2011 documentary “Finding Sarah,” Fergie revealed that her mother abused her.
And her strict father was no help.
She landed a job in publishing and, for a few years, lived a pretty normal life.
Because of her looks and personality, she was quickly branded as a wild party girl.
“But sometimes, you don’t always want to be the storm.”
Life as a tabloid leading lady wasn’t easy.
For someone who already had self-image issues from childhood, it wasn’t easy.
“I had major mental health problems because of the trauma,” she said to People.
The wedding itself was a suitably extravagant affair.
Held in Westminster Abbey, the royal wedding was televised to an estimated 500 million around the world.
However, this idyllic happily ever after didn’t last long.
Both were roughly the same age and had married into the royal family.
In many ways, the pair were best friends.
Nobody else is left who understands those days."
“Everybody wanted (to see a feud) because we were so strong together,” Fergie toldPeople.
“People want to break something so strong.”
Becoming a mother was one of the happier parts of Fergie’s life.
“One of the best jobs… is that I’m a really good mum,” she toldPeople.
As she explained on the podcast “The Matt Haycox Show,” she became a great-grandmother, too.
As body language expert Judi James told theExpress, they have become inseparable.
Things became rocky early on.
As she explained toHarper’s Bazaar, shortly after their wedding, Andrew was sent away by the navy.
Things came to a head when Fergie was pictured on holiday with her financial advisor, John Bryan.
As Fergie later told Rosie Magazine, she was spiraling out of control at the time.
“I had out-of-control debts, an out-of-control lifestyle that I couldn’t keep up anymore.
The pair officially split in 1992 and divorced in 1996 (viaHello!).
The pair worked together to co-parent their children.
“We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything,” she toldThe Telegraph.
“We’re a wonderful unit.
We still live together,” she said.
In recent years, some publications and royal experts have suggested that Fergie and Andrew might actually marry again.
However, as Fergie told The Telegraph in 2021, their unique set-up was working just fine.
“We always say we are the most contented divorced couple in the world.
We’re divorced to each other, not from each other.”
Maybe this is one couple who got closer after their divorce than after their marriage.
She allegedly asked for 500,000, promising him, “That opens up everything you would ever wish for.
I can open any door you want, and I will for you.
Look after me and he’ll look after you… you’ll get it back tenfold.”
The incident continued to haunt Fergie for years.
AsTown & Countryexplained, despite her attempts at an apology, she became a widely hated public figure.
Said Fergie, “I took it as a huge compliment.
I’m really proud that I’m still here.”
Soon, she found herself shunned by her former family.
“To be frank, theDuke of Edinburghdoesn’t like her.”
In 2011, she also wasn’t invited to her nephew, William’s, wedding to Kate Middleton.
Instead of letting herself become too upset about the situation, she tried to focus on herself.
Over the years, her relationship with the family seems to have improved.
It seems that Fergie’s support of Andrew is unshakeable.
While some people may have said nothing, she went out of her way to speak up.
As royal commentator Penny Junor noted toThe Guardian, “She has not just stood silently by his side.
She actually speaks out in favour of him.”
I’m stratospherically sensitive.”
“The truth is, I am 61 years old and I’m free of the self-sabotaging Sarah.”
She was in her 60s when she released her first novel, “Her Heart for a Compass.”
The book was a light-hearted romance.
Becoming an author wasn’t easy for Fergie, who had a history of struggling with public attention.
“It has been really hard putting myself above the parapet,” she toldTown & Country.
“I’m not worried about the book.
I just find it quite alarming being so public.”
But for Fergie, despite the reaction, becoming a novelist felt like a much-needed fresh start.
After years of difficulties, it gave her the chance to start again.
“I personally believe today is a first, a first in the new normal,” she said.
“This is a first that I can start a new career at the age of 61.”
