Sarah Ferguson
Sarah, Duchess of York , born as Sarah Margaret Ferguson , nickname "Fergie" (born October 15, 1959 in London ), is the divorced wife of the British Prince Andrew , the Duke of York . Through her marriage, she earned the title of Duchess of York. She is also known as the author of the Budgie children's books about a little blue helicopter , which were successfully made into an animated series for British television .
Origin and youth
The Duchess of York is the daughter of Major Ronald Ivor Ferguson (1931-2003) and Susan Mary Wright (1937-1998). Her parents were married from 1956 to 1974. Sarah has a sister, Jane Louisa (* 1957). Sarah's mother left the family in 1972 and moved to Argentina with polo player Héctor Barrantes, whom she married in 1975. There she owned a ranch and raised ponies and cattle. She died in a car accident in Argentina in 1998. After the divorce, her father married Susan Deptford in 1975. From this second marriage of the father, Sarah has three half-siblings: Andrew (* 1978), Alice (* 1980) and Elizabeth (Eliza) (* 1985). Her father made a career in the military and worked as the manager of Prince Charles' polo team . Major Ferguson died of cancer in 2003. Through her father, the Duchess descends from Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth from King Charles II of England .
Sarah had a privileged childhood. She went to boarding school with her sister. She was an avid rider and took part in tournaments. After graduating from school, she attended a secretary school. She then worked in a PR agency, then in a gallery and finally in a publishing house in London. She lived a jet set life and was invited by the royal family to a party at Windsor Castle in 1985. It was there that her relationship with Prince Andrew began. However, she already had contact with the royal family as a child, not least through her father and the common polo sport.
Marriage and children
Sarah married Prince Andrew on July 23, 1986 at Westminster Abbey . Through the marriage she carried the title Her Royal Highness, The Princess Andrew, Duchess of York, Countess of Inverness and Baroness Killyleagh until the divorce .
The marriage resulted in two daughters:
- Beatrice Elizabeth Mary (born August 8, 1988)
- Eugenie Victoria Helena (born March 23, 1990)
In 1992 the marriage was in crisis and Sarah was often seen with other men. In March 1992, the Duke and the Duchess separated. A few months later, images were published in the tabloids of American finance manager John Bryan kissing Sarah's foot. In 1996, Prince Andrew and Sarah divorced . Sarah still bears the title of Duchess of York, but lost her royal rank and the associated title of HRH (Her Royal Highness).
Even after the divorce, Prince Andrew and Sarah continued to look after the daughters together and lived together in Sunninghill Park until 2004 . They are now neighbors on the grounds of Windsor Castle .
Life after divorce from Prince Andrew
After the divorce and a few private affairs, Sarah tried a career with her own talk show , but it was not a great success. She made many appearances on talk shows and television series. She also resides in the United States where she works and does business. She got involved in numerous charitable causes, for example US spokeswoman for SOS Children's Villages . In 1998 she had a guest appearance on the television series Friends in the episode Finally Wedding .
Sarah promoted Weight Watchers , the china manufacturer Wedgwood, and other companies. As a writer , she wrote her autobiography as well as some diet guides and children's books, among other things .
At the beginning of November 2008 she hit the headlines when she publicized grievances in Turkish orphanages . Two ministers of the Turkish government at the time ( Erdoğan II cabinet ) described the publication of the secret evidence as a malicious campaign against the country.
Selected books
- Budgie: The Little Helicopter
- Budgie: At Bendick's Point
- Budgie Goes to Sea
- Budgie and the Blizzard
- My story (autobiography). Written down by Jeff Coplon. Bastei-Lübbe 1996, ISBN 3-404-12650-5
Awards
- 1999: Order of the Smile
- 2005: Women's World Awards - World Social Award
Literature (selection)
- Digel Dempster and Peter Evans: Behind the Doors of Windsor. The English royal family and its scandals . Goldmann 1993, ISBN 3-442-42487-9
- Helmuth-Maria Glogger: The Secret Life of the Windsors . Knaur 2006, ISBN 3-426-77951-X
- Anthony Holden: The wavering throne. Götterdämmerung in the English royal family . Knaur 1995, ISBN 3-426-77154-3
- Chris Hutchins and Peter Thompson: Fergie. The real story of Sarah, Duchess of York . Heyne 1993, ISBN 3-453-06709-6
- Kitty Kelly: The Royals. Glory and misery of an English family . Schröder 1997, licensed edition Bertelsmann undated, book no. 039305
- Peter Osborne: Scandal Royal. The real background . VPM 1992, ISBN 3-8118-3922-5
- Leslie Player: The Windsors and me. Behind the scenes of the English royal family . Heyne 1993, ISBN 3-453-06910-2
- Ludwig Schubert and Rolf Seelmann-Eggebert: Europe's royal houses . vgs 1991, 1999.
- Judy Wade: Great Britain. The history of the British monarchy. In: Princely and royal houses in Europe. Naumann & Göbel 1995, ISBN 3-625-10691-4
- Marshall Cavendish Ltd. Int. (Eds.): Royal Romances 11. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson . (no year)
Web links
- Literature by and about Sarah Ferguson in the catalog of the German National Library
- Official website
- Sarah Ferguson in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ferguson, Sarah |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ferguson, Sarah Margaret (full name); Fergie (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | divorced wife of the British Prince Andrew, Duke of York |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 15, 1959 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |