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Sarah Ferguson was born in London, England, on Oct. 15, 1959, to Major Ronald Ferguson and Susan Mary Wright. Her parents divorced in 1974, and later her mother remarried and moved to Argentina. However, she stayed in the U.K. with her father.
At the age of 18, she enrolled into the Queen’s Secretarial College in London. Later, she took up jobs at various places such as an art gallery, public relation firms and a publishing company.
In 1986, she married Queen Elizabeth’s third child Prince Andrew, Duke of York. However, they separated in 1992 and their divorce was finalized in 1996. They have two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Upon her wedding with Prince Andrew, she was given the title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York. However, after her divorce, Ferguson ceased being a Royal Highness in accordance with letters patent issued by the Queen in August 1996 that regulated post-divorce royal titles. Currently, she holds the title Sarah, Duchess of York.
She has been long associated with the British royal family through her paternal grandmother, Marian Montagu Douglas Scott, who was the first cousin of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (an aunt of Queen Elizabeth II).
She is a distant cousin of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997). In fact, both their mothers attended school together. Even before they became sisters-in-law, the two shared a close friendship for many years.
In December 1987, the Duchess became the first member of the British royal family to earn a private helicopter pilot’s license.
For more than 10 years, she worked as a spokeswoman with Weight Watchers – a company that offers health-related services.
In 1998, Sarah made a guest appearance on the hit TV series “Friends.” During her cameo, she compliments Joey (Matt LeBlanc) for his Union Jack hat.
Over the years, the Duchess of York has written many books such as “Budgie at Bendick’s Point” (1989), “Dining with the Duchess” (1997), “Little Red” (2003) and “Tea for Ruby” (2008).
Since becoming a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust in 1990, Sarah has opened many units, including in Southampton (2013) and Glasgow (2016).
Her personal life was showcased in the mini-series “Finding Sarah,” which debuted in 2011. She partnered with Oprah Winfrey’s TV network OWN for the show.
She co-produced the period drama film “The Young Victoria” (2009). It was directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and starred Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany.
Her charity Children in Crisis, founded in 1993, aims at providing education to children. At its 25th anniversary in 2018, she said: “It has certainly made me a better mother to my daughters, giving me a sense of perspective and allowing me to encourage them to use the platform they have to get involved in charitable work. It has probably saved my life, too, by giving me purpose through difficult times.”
14/14 SLIDES
Fergie who was pictured topless having her toes sucked after splitting from Prince Andrew has written a romantic novel for saucy publishers Mills & Boon.
Sarah, Duchess of York admitted her book about an ancestor “drew on many parallels” from her own romantic experiences.
And when she found out little about her great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, her “imagination took over” and she “invented a history for her”.
The prolific publishers Mills & Boon said Fergie’s book, Her Heart for a Compass, “incorporates research into the Duchess’s heritage and draws upon her own unique life journey and experiences”.
© Mills & Boon/PA Wire
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York poses for Mills & Boon
Fergie, 61, who still lives with scandal-hit Prince Andrew at his Royal Lodge home on the Windsor Estate despite divorcing him in 1996, said: “I invented a history for her that incorporated real people and events, including some of my other ancestors. I drew on many parallels from my life for Lady Margaret’s journey.”
Among Mills & Boons’ recent titles are Dangerous Liaisons, Latin Lovers and A Royal Secret and there is much anticipation over the content of Fergie’s book.
© Splash News
Sarah Ferguson
In 1992, just months after separating from Andrew, she was photographed having her toes sucked by Texan millionaire John Bryan while holidaying in St Tropez, France.
The scandal spelled the end of her time as a member of the royal family. Andrew remains in exile from his royal role after his relationship with convicted paedophile US billionaire Jeffrey Esptein.
© Mills and Boon
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York’s debut novel Her Heart For A Compass
Speaking of the novel, the Duchess said: “It all started with researching my ancestry. I first came across Lady Margaret, who intrigued me because she shared one of my given names. Fergie’s first book, Budgie the Helicopter, was written in 1989.
Source by www.msn.com