Sarah, Duchess of York

She is the second daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson (1931–2003) and Susan Barrantes (née Wright; 1937–1998).

She has one older full sister, Jane.

Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a British author, television personality, and member of the extended British royal family.

She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and a younger brother of King Charles III.

Ferguson was raised in Dummer, Hampshire, and attended the Queen's Secretarial College.

She later worked for public relations firms in London, and then for a publishing company.

Sarah Margaret Ferguson was born on 15 October 1959 at London Welbeck Hospital in London.

After Ferguson's parents divorced in 1974, her mother married polo player Héctor Barrantes in 1975 and moved to Trenque Lauquen in the Argentine pampas.

Sarah stayed at the 480 acre Dummer Down Farm at Dummer, Hampshire, her father's home since age 8.

Major Ferguson married Susan Deptford in 1976 and had three more children: Andrew, Alice, and Elizabeth.

Sarah later mentioned that at the age of 12, when her parents' marriage started to fall apart, she developed an eating disorder and "turned to overeating for comfort".

Ferguson, known informally as "Fergie", once described her family as "country gentry with a bit of old money".

She is a descendant of King Charles II of England via three of his illegitimate children: Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond; James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth; and Anne Lennard, Countess of Sussex.

She has aristocratic ancestry, being the great-great-granddaughter of the 6th Duke of Buccleuch, a great-granddaughter of the 8th Viscount Powerscourt, and a descendant of the 1st Duke of Abercorn and the 4th Duke of Devonshire.

Ferguson is distantly related to Prince Andrew, as they are both descended from the Duke of Devonshire as well as King James VI and I.

Ferguson attended Daneshill School, Stratfield Turgis.

The staff of the school described her as a "courageous, bubbly and outgoing little girl".

She then attended Hurst Lodge School in Ascot.

She did not shine academically but showed talent in swimming and tennis.

At a young age, she developed an interest in skiing and later briefly worked as a chalet girl.

In her teenage years, she worked both as a cleaner and waitress.

After finishing a course at Queen's Secretarial College at the age of 18, Ferguson went to work for an art gallery.

Later she worked in two public relations firms in London, and then for a publishing company.

Prior to marriage, she dated Kim Smith-Bingham, a stockbroker, and Paddy McNally, a motor racing manager more than 20 years her senior.

Prince Andrew had known Ferguson since childhood, and they had met occasionally at polo matches and became reacquainted with each other at Royal Ascot in 1985.

Also prior to their engagement, Ferguson had accompanied Diana, Princess of Wales, during her official tour of Andrew's ship HMS Brazen.

Prince Andrew designed the engagement ring himself.

It consisted of ten diamonds surrounding a Burmese ruby.

He chose the Burmese ruby to complement Sarah's red hair.

With her fun spirit and friendly approach, she was considered to be a good addition to the royal family.

She began a relationship with Andrew in 1985, and they were married on 23 July 1986 at Westminster Abbey.

They have two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

On 19 March 1986, Prince Andrew (fourth in line to the throne at the time) and Sarah Ferguson announced their engagement.

After securing the Queen's consent (which at that time was required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772 for all descendants of King George III), Andrew and Sarah were married in Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986.

She has been the patron of Teenage Cancer Trust since 1990 and founded Children in Crisis and Sarah's Trust.

In the years after her divorce, Sarah was the subject of scandals that affected her relationship with the royal family, but she has appeared in various royal events in recent years.

She has written several books for children and adults and has worked on TV and in film production.

Their marriage, separation in 1992, and divorce in 1996 attracted much media coverage.

Both during and after her marriage, Sarah has been involved with several charities as a patron and spokesperson.

Her charity work primarily revolves around helping cancer patients and children.