Sarah ‒ affectionately called Fergie ‒ had a very special birthday bash last year, organised by her ex-husband. The Duke and Duchess of York have now been divorced for over 30 years, but are still very close. Fergie has referred to Andrew as “her handsome prince” and their daughter Princess Eugenie described them as the “best divorced couple I know”.
The Duchess even stood by her prince through the scandal regarding his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein that led to him stepping back from royal duties.
For her birthday last year, Andrew hosted an intimate “surprise” dinner party for family and friends at their home in The Royal Lodge in Berkshire, along with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
It was reported that there would be a garden marquee and unlimited pink champagne.
A royal source told Fabulous Digital: “The invitations to the surprise birthday have been sent out by Princess Eugenie and Princess Breatrice.
READ MORE: Prince Andrew’s astonishment at Sarah Ferguson’s flat: ‘All one room?’
“It is going to be a sit down dinner for friends and family at their home Royal Lodge.
“There will be a marquee in the garden and she has ordered in loads of her favourite drink, pink Laurent Perrier champagne.”
This came not long after Fergie was quizzed about her ex-husband’s links to Epstein, when she darted the question but hinted she was supporting him.
The Duchess of York told : “I think the most important thing in life is family hood.”
However, it all came to a head in November when he took part in his Newsnight interview, widely viewed as a car-crash.
Just days after it aired, he stepped back from royal duties.
Fergie, meanwhile, has not been performing royal duties for decades, although she does appear at certain family events, especially those regarding her daughters.
She fell out of favour with the Royal Family in the late Eighties and early Nineties, in part due to her outgoing, brash behaviour.
What’s more, her marriage started to crumble due to long distances apart with the Duke in the Navy.
The final straw, however, is widely believed to be the infamous toe-sucking pictures of Fergie and an American businessman, which were splashed on the front of newspapers in 1992.
Prince Philip was reportedly so furious about it that he still refuses to be in the same room as the Duchess.
However, he did put those feelings aside for the sake of Beatrice and Eugenie on their wedding days.
He even posed for a photograph with Fergie and the rest of the family for Eugenie’s wedding in 2018.
Meanwhile, at Beatrice’s wedding the only photographs released were of the happy couple, with one featuring the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
