Sarah Ferguson on Ex-Husband Prince Andrew: ‘I Married a Good Man’

Prince Harry isn't the only royal redhead with a bestseller on his hands. Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is a writer as well, and she's set to release her second novel, A Most Intriguing Lady, this week. 

The 63-year-old is currently making the rounds to promote the historical fiction book, which is the follow-up to her 2021 bestseller, Her Heart for a Compass. On Monday evening Ferguson joined Glamour editor in chief Samantha Barry at the 92nd Street Y, New York, in Manhattan to discuss A Most Intriguing Lady as well as her life and career. 

While she was loquacious regarding the novel, she was more coy when asked about her current relationship with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew. “In 1986 I married a very good man—zip,” she said of the Duke of York, while making a “zipped lips” motion.

Ferguson wed Prince Andrew, who is Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's third child, in 1986, and the couple had two daughters: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. They separated in 1992 and finalized their divorced in 1996; however, Fergie and Andrew remained on good terms, even living together following the end of their marriage. 

In recent years Prince Andrew's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has come under renewed scrutiny, particularly following the 2021 sex abuse lawsuit filed by Virginia Guiffre against the 63-year-old prince, which was settled in 2022. Amid the legal battle, the late Queen Elizabeth stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronages and announced that he would be stepping back from royal duties.

When Barry asked how the fallout against Andrew and his “difficult few years” impacted Ferguson, she answered by describing her relationship with her daughters. “The thing is, the girls and I are called the tripod,” she said. “But it's very sad to see the cruelty given to another, and I feel very strongly that the most important thing is to keep Beatrice and Eugenie and the tripod, and the best way we can win is by [having] success. And my goodness, the girls are incredible at what they do.”