SIt sounds like the plot of a television drama but it has been discussed at Buckingham Palace for years and, according to the British media, the preparations have been finalized for some time. We are only waiting for an official announcement, perhaps after the fact. Sarah Ferguson, 64, and Prince Andrew, 63, love each other and want to get married again.
Sarah Ferguson and Andrea married for the second time
Now that the writer duchess is fighting a second cancer – this time on the skin, after the mastectomy she underwent last June for breast cancer – the Yorks would like to formalize a union (divorced) which has been speculated about for decades. The king’s consent is not necessary, considering that Andrew is positioned well outside the first six Royals in line to the throne, but Charles III would still have no intention of hindering the couple. On one condition…
Sarah Ferguson, married again but without fanfare
Unlike her father Philip, who found Fergie particularly unpleasant and had banished her from court, Charles allowed his ex-sister-in-law to join the Royals last Christmas at Sandringham. And despite the problems caused at court due to the involvement of his brother Andrea in the pedophile scandal Epstein, the sovereign would not oppose the prince’s second marriage. King Charles III only asks that the ceremony take place away from the public and photographers, in a semi-hidden chapel in Windsor park, and with an announcement possibly after the fact.
Fergie with ex Andrea and daughter Beatrice at Sandringham, for the traditional Christmas walk, 25 December 2023 (Getty Images)
A hidden church and very few guests
The chapel Royal in which Andrea and Fergie would get married would be that of All Saintsthe same one where, in July 2020, and in the midst of the pandemic, the firstborn Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. As with their daughter, but for completely different reasons, the Dukes of York could also invite only very few people. A marriage, the second, which would therefore be light years away from the first, which allowed Fergie to be welcomed with great pomp at court.
The Yorks’ (first) fairytale wedding
That day – 23 July 1986 – all the Royals were there at Westminster, as well as hundreds of VIP guests. And outside the abbey over 100,000 Britons gathered to witness the arrival and then exit of Sarah Ferguson, new Duchess of York, on the arm of Prince Andrew. But the union was unfortunately destined to end in an acrimonious divorce in 1996, the same year in which Charles and Diana said goodbye.
A great love that survived scandals and divorce
Why did Andrea and Sarah Ferguson separate? One of the most important reasons was the distance. The third son of Elizabeth II, an officer in the British Navy, spent only a few days a year with his wife, and Fergie suffered for it. But the separation was forced by several scandals, including the much talked about one of the duchess’s big toe, sucked on the terrace by a Texan billionaire lover.
Sarah Ferguson with daughters Beatrice (left) and Eugenia, Los Angeles, 2009 (AP Photo)
Sarah Ferguson and Andrea already live together
Outside of marriage, however, their relationship ended up strengthening and transforming into a loyal friendship that pushed Sarah and Andrea to live together for decades in the Royal Lodge of Windsor. He has never failed to offer support to his ex-wife, supporting her in her many commercial initiatives and during periods of unpopularity. She defends her ex-husband with drawn sword, with courage and determination, aiming for an unlikely return to court. Of course, more in love than that…
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