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For decades, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew presented one of the Royal Family’s most unconventional relationships, insisting their divorce never diminished their close bond. The Duchess of York famously described the pair as “the happiest divorced couple in the world,” a narrative that endured through years of scandals, financial troubles, and public scrutiny.
Now, as the former couple reportedly establish separate lives following Prince Andrew’s latest controversies, royal biographer Andrew Lownie argues that the carefully cultivated image may have masked a far more complicated reality. According to Lownie, the Yorks’ post-divorce arrangement was less about enduring affection than maintaining royal ties and financial advantages.
Although Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew officially divorced in 1996, the pair remained unusually close, continuing to live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor and frequently speaking publicly about their enduring friendship.
In a 2018 interview with the Daily Mail, Ferguson described their relationship in glowing terms. “July 23, 1986, was the happiest day of my life. Andrew is the best man I know. What he does for Britain is incredible; no one knows how hard he works for his country,” she said. “My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will. The way we are is our fairy tale. Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other. The Yorks are a united family.”
But Lownie, author of “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” believes those public statements never reflected the reality of their marriage. “It had been a convenient cover and helped generate positive media headlines, but the reality is the couple very quickly after their wedding were having affairs,” Lownie told the Daily Mail in a new interview.
He also questioned Ferguson’s decision to continue living alongside Andrew after their divorce. “The only reason Ferguson continued to cadge accommodation from him was that it saved her money and burnished her royal connections and her money-making activities,” he claimed.
Why Sarah Ferguson And Prince Andrew’s Living Arrangement Always Stood Out
Even after ending their marriage, Ferguson and Andrew maintained a relationship unlike almost any other divorced senior royal couple. The pair continued sharing Royal Lodge for years, attended family events together, and presented themselves as a united front while raising Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Their close friendship frequently fueled speculation that they could eventually remarry, though both consistently dismissed those rumors. Lownie argues that the arrangement also benefited Ferguson professionally, allowing her to maintain close ties to the Royal Family long after losing her HRH status following the divorce.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams similarly suggested the arrangement worked because it benefited both parties. “It’s lucrative for both of them to be together. The point is that this has been an arrangement of convenience to enable them to live at a certain level,” he told the Daily Mail.
According to Fitzwilliams, the public image of the Yorks’ unusually close post-divorce relationship ultimately became part of that mutually beneficial arrangement.
Affairs Allegedly Began Early In The Marriage
Lownie’s reporting also revisits long-standing allegations that both Ferguson and Andrew were unfaithful during their marriage. According to the royal author, Ferguson developed a relationship with American businessman Steve Wyatt after meeting him in Houston in 1989 while she was pregnant with Princess Eugenie.
In “Entitled,” Lownie wrote that Ferguson, who was often left alone while Andrew served in the Royal Navy, found Wyatt’s personality immediately appealing. “Sarah, bored and lonely, was attracted to Wyatt, then in his late thirties, with his thatch of brown hair, soft blue eyes and rich hypnotic voice, and shared interest in alternative medicine,” Lownie claimed.
Another individual present during their introduction reportedly recalled, “It was obvious she was enormously attracted to him… There was a clear chemistry between them.”
Lownie also revisits claims that Andrew was unfaithful during the marriage. According to the prince’s former driver, Andrew allegedly slept with “more than a dozen women before their first anniversary.”
An insider quoted in Lownie’s book claimed Ferguson became increasingly frustrated by Andrew’s absences during his naval service. “Sarah discovered Andrew wasn’t coming home on some of his leave. He was going elsewhere, and this just drove her crazy,” the insider said. “She didn’t like the fact she was a shore widow, and to discover she was shore-widowed intentionally really hurt.”
Prince Andrew’s Scandals Reportedly Changed The Yorks’ Dynamic
For years, Ferguson remained publicly supportive of Andrew despite the mounting controversies surrounding him, including the fallout from his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. However, recent reports suggest the former couple have begun leading increasingly separate lives.
According to the Daily Mail, Andrew has relocated to Marsh Farm on the Sandringham estate, while Ferguson has reportedly been spending time elsewhere and searching for permanent accommodations of her own.
The Duchess has also reportedly kept a lower public profile amid renewed scrutiny over past correspondence with Epstein and concerns about her own reputation. A source previously told The Sun that Ferguson had been “keeping an incredibly low profile” while staying in the Alps and was intentionally avoiding public attention.
Royal Experts Believe The ‘Cover Is Blown’
With Andrew and Ferguson now reportedly living apart, both Lownie and Fitzwilliams believe the arrangement that defined the Yorks for nearly two decades may finally be coming to an end.
Fitzwilliams argued that the relationship had always been “symbiotic,” pointing to past controversies, including Ferguson’s involvement in the “Fake Sheikh” scandal, as evidence that remaining close benefited both financially and publicly.
“This arrangement has gone on since 2008 because it was mutually advantageous,” he said, adding that the latest developments fundamentally change how their relationship should be viewed. “Now this cover is blown, they want to live apart in two homes. The world can clearly see that the previous arrangement was designed to maximise the benefit of Andrew’s public life for them privately.”
The Royal Expert Claims Sarah Ferguson And Prince Andrew’s ‘Cover Is Blown’ first appeared on The Blast
