This weekend in history: The royals announce the engagement of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

This weekend marks 27 years since the royal family announced the royal engagement between Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Queen Elizabeth’s third child, and Sarah Ferguson, the daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson and his first wife Susan Wright. Though at the time it was considered another fairytale romance for the British public, in the years following it became tabloid fodder including scandalous photos involving the Duchess of York.

Despite the pair knowing each other from an early age, it wasn’t until 1985 that the pair became romantically involved, meeting once again at a party at Floors Castle. It was believed that Princess Diana had matched the pair up at an event later that same year in honour of the Royal Ascot races - as both Diana and Sarah shortly thereafter became very good friends.

The engagement was announced on March 17 1986 in the UK (March 18 for those in other time zones) and Prince Andrew proposed to Sarah a month earlier on February 19 1986, the date of his 26th birthday. The proposal took place once again at Floors Castle in Scotland - the site where the pair allegedly shared their first kiss.

Andrew presented Sarah with an engagement ring made from sketches he had made, which included a large Burma ruby surrounded by ten drop diamonds. The 3ct ring, said to be designed by British jewellery house, Garrard, saw the precious gems arranged on a yellow gold band - again, there is a link to Princess Diana here. Garrard is the same place that made Princess Diana’s iconic sapphire piece, as well as Sophie Wessex’s ring.

When talking about their engagement, Prince Andrew explained the choice of colour to be down to the mutual conclusion that red was the best option for Sarah, whilst the “extra bits on the outside” were added to meet the couple’s desire for something unconventional. The cost? Apparently around £25,000.

The Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

The Royal wedding was set for July 23 1986, taking place at Westminster Abbey, with Prince Edward acting as Prince Andrew’s best man, and Sarah’s bridesmaids included Lady Rosanagh Innes-Ker, Zara Phillips and a young Prince William as a pageboy.

Prince Andrew was dressed in the ceremonial attire of a naval lieutenant, while Sarah wore an ivory-silk wedding dress designed by Lindka Cierach, which had a 17-foot train and 20-foot-long veil. Sarah wore a floral crown for the occasion which was placed atop a diamond tiara that was given to her by Queen Elizabeth II. The wedding ring, in keeping with a Royal tradition dating back to 1923, was made with Welsh gold.

The ceremony itself didn’t go off without a hitch however; Sarah referred to Prince Andrew by his middle name, Christian, several times in a scene reminiscent of that of the vows exchanged between Princess Diana and King Charles III five years earlier. She did choose to use the phrase “to love, cherish and to obey” during the exchange of vows, whereas Princess Diana chose to omit the word “obey” in her exchanges - a cause celebre at the time for the British public.

A fairytale ending?

Well… many of us know how this one ended.

Given Prince Andrew’s naval commitments, the pair only managed to see each other for 40 days a year. Then there was the tabloid hounding of the newly crowned Duchess of York - they took aim at her weight, her mental state during the most strenuous moments in their marriage and she became as much tabloid fodder as Princess Diana would during her estrangement from King Charles III years later.

The tabloids went into overdrive though when a particular photo started making the rounds in August 1992; one that showed American financial manager John Bryan sucking the toes of Sarah Ferguson as she sunbathed topless. It was a goldmine for the Daily Mirror, even though with all the matrimonial issues throughout their time together the pair had separated in March of that year.

That led to a further estrangement from the Royal family, with Princess Margaret (Prince Andrew’s aunt) penning a letter to Fergie, as the tabloids would refer to her as, saying “you have done more to bring shame on the family than could ever have been imagined." Little would she know years later…

A decree nisi was granted on 17 April 1996 and the divorce was finalised on 30 May 1996, after which she legally retained the style of Her Royal Highness with the style of other divorced peeresses.

However, it was announced in April that Sarah had chosen not to use the style Her Royal Highness and would relinquish it under the divorce terms.

The engagement ring was never brought up during the divorce proceedings, so it was unclear if Fergie kept it or if it had to be returned.

Despite everything, the pair remain on good terms, with Ferguson as recent as this month calling Prince Andrew “a good man” during a conversation with Glamour’s editor Samantha Barry during a promotional event for her book, A Most Intriguing Lady, in New York.

As for Prince Andrew - we understand he’s still having issues with being removed from the Royal Lodge and placed into Frogmore Cottage at the insistence of King Charles III. At least, we think he is still moving in, as reports have indicated Princess Eugenie has taken over the lease as of the last reporting.