Claims by Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew that they were the "happiest divorced couple in the world" served as a "convenient cover" to support Ferguson's "money-making activities" and maintain her royal connections, according to royal author Andrew Lownie.
Lownie, author of "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," stated that Ferguson's long-held narrative of a positive post-divorce relationship with the Duke of York never rang true. He suggested that the couple were involved in extramarital affairs relatively soon after their 1986 wedding. "The only reason Ferguson continued to cadge accommodation from him was that it saved her money and burnished her royal connections and her money-making activities," Lownie told the Daily Mail.
Ferguson and Andrew, who married at Westminster Abbey in July 1986, divorced in May 1992 after a marriage that sources say was plagued by scandal and infidelity. Despite this, Ferguson frequently described their relationship as a "fairy tale" and maintained a close family bond with their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Ferguson's own romantic entanglements drew significant media attention. During her second pregnancy with Princess Eugenie, she reportedly began an affair with American businessman Steve Wyatt. Later, in 1991, images of Ferguson and her financial advisor John Bryan surfaced, showing Bryan kissing and sucking her toes, which was widely reported as 'Fergie's Stolen Kisses.'
Prince Andrew also faced accusations of infidelity during the marriage. An insider told Lownie that Andrew slept with more than a dozen women before his first anniversary with Ferguson, which reportedly caused her significant distress.
In recent years, following Prince Andrew's association with Jeffrey Epstein and his subsequent loss of royal titles, questions arose about Ferguson's loyalty. While they continued to live at Royal Lodge, their living arrangement was described by some royal experts as "lucrative" for both parties, with Ferguson having previously been involved in attempts to sell access to Andrew.
Lownie contends that the "cover" of their amicable separation has been "blown," suggesting that their continued proximity after the divorce was a strategic arrangement to maximize their financial and social standing. He characterized their post-divorce relationship as symbiotic, driven by a desire for a certain lifestyle that was facilitated by maintaining the facade of the "happiest divorced couple."