Who Is Sarah Ferguson? Meet the Duchess Weighing in on Royal Family Drama

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York has been making waves in the news cycle recently, but she remains one of the more obscure figures in the British royal family – at least to admirers outside of the U.K. Ferguson is often referred to as "Fergie" in the press, and has not made this many headlines in the U.K. since the 1990s. Here's a quick introduction or refresher on the duchess and her connection to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Ferguson is 63 years old and was introduced to the royal family at a young age through her father, Major Ronald Ferguson, who was the polo manager for the monarchy for many years. He worked for Prince Philip and later for then-Prince Charles, which is how Ferguson met her first husband, Prince Andrew. She married Prince Andrew, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1986. They had their daughter Princess Beatrice in 1988 and their daughter Princess Eugenie in 1990. Their marital troubles made it into the press shortly after that – the couple separated in 1992 and finalized their divorce in 1996.

The reasoning for the divorce has never been ascribed to one simple factor, and of course, the recent controversy of Prince Andrew's alleged sexual assaults has raised new questions. However, at the time it was widely reported that Ferguson had extra-marital affairs, and one tabloid even published photos of an American man sucking on Ferguson's toes while she sunbathed topless. Ferguson would later say that incidents like this were devastating to her mental health.

Meanwhile, Ferguson needed to find new sources of income after the divorce, putting her in a situation similar to the one that Markle and Prince Harry are in now. She took a job as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers to supplement her divorce settlement and other assets from the divorce. Much like Markle and Prince Harry, Ferguson needed to capitalize on her royal association without going so far as to cheapen it.

Ferguson's biggest media controversies were generally related to finance. She suffered from high-profile issues with debt, and some of her more dubious media appearances were even explained as desperate attempts to pay off that debt. Even more salacious was the "cash for access" scandal, as the media called it. Ferguson was accused of soliciting cash payments in exchange for business access to Prince Andrew. New details in this story have broken as recently as March of 2022, so there may still be more revelations to come.

Ferguson has not stayed far from the royal orbit since her divorce. As the mother of two princesses, she has attended numerous high-profile events, although she was notably not invited to the 1999 wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, nor the weddings of either Prince William or Prince Harry in 2011 and 2018 respectively. Still, just last year she was seated beside her daughters at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Ferguson has remained an important pundit in the royal news cycle over the years, especially when it concerns her ex-husband. She spoke about his alleged sex scandal in 2015 on The Meredith Vieira Show before his recent disgrace and association with Jeffrey Epstein. However, not all of her media appearances have been editorial. In 1998 she made a cameo appearance on Friends.

Ferguson's most prominent contribution to international pop culture is probably her nickname Fergie, appropriated by the American pop star Stacy Ferguson. Her debut album was titled The Dutchess as a clear nod to Ferguson. When the record became popular, Ferguson reportedly enlisted the pop star for several charity concerts for her "Children in Crisis" foundation.

Perhaps due to the similarities in their stories, Ferguson's commentary on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has often made headlines over the last few years. Recently, she suggested that the two make a cleaner break with the royal family. She told The Independent that they should decide whether they are "in or out," adding: "You can't have it both ways." Royal admirers may disagree on whether Ferguson is qualified to give this kind of advice, but there's no doubt she will remain a prominent pundit for years to come.