Prince Andrew, Duke of York - Marriage and Divorce

Marriage and Divorce

Further information: Wedding of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986, the same day The Queen created him Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killyleagh, all titles previously held by both his maternal great-grandfather and grandfather. Prince Andrew had known Miss Ferguson since childhood, and they had met occasionally at polo matches, and became re-acquainted with each other at Royal Ascot in 1985.

The couple appeared to have a happy marriage, producing two daughters, and presenting a united outward appearance during the late 1980s; the Duchess was seen as refreshing in the context of the formal protocol surrounding the Royal Family. However, the Duke of York's frequent travel due to his military career, as well as relentless, often critical, media attention focused on the Duchess of York, led to fractures in the marriage. On 19 March 1992 the couple announced plans to separate and did so in an amicable way. Some months later, pictures appeared in the tabloid media of the Duchess in intimate association with her financial advisor at the time, John Bryan, which effectively ended any hopes of a reconciliation between the Duke and Duchess. Thereafter, the marriage was ended in divorce on 30 May 1996, though the split was friendly, and the Duke of York spoke fondly of his former wife: "We have managed to work together to bring our children up in a way that few others have been able to and I am extremely grateful to be able to do that." It was stipulated that the custody of the two Princesses would be shared between their parents, and the Duchess even continued to live at the Duke's home, Sunninghill Park, until 2004, when he moved to the Royal Lodge. In 2003, Richard Kay, in his first gossip column for the Daily Mail, asserted that the Duke was about to marry the businesswoman Amanda Staveley. She was, however, subsequently quoted in the Sunday Telegraph saying "I will not be marrying Andrew now or in the future." In 2007, Sarah, Duchess of York purchased Dolphin House, a mansion directly beside the Royal Lodge. In 2008, a fire at Dolphin House resulted in Sarah moving into the Royal Lodge, again sharing a home with the Duke of York.

In May 2010, Sarah, Duchess of York was filmed by a News of the World reporter claiming that the Duke of York had agreed that if she were to receive £500,000, he, the Prince, would meet the donor and pass on useful top-level business contacts. She was filmed receiving, in cash, $40,000 as a down payment. The Duke's entourage denied he knew of the situation. In July 2011, Sarah, Duchess of York stated that her multi-million pound debts had been cleared due to the intervention of her former husband, whom she said "rode in on his white charger to save ".