Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor tied the knot on July 23, 1986, but by 1992, the pair had separated, finalizing their divorce in 1996. Even after their split, Andrew and Ferguson remained close, and continued to live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor. However, according to one royal source, Ferguson was "deeply unhappy" in the marriage, particularly as she was often left alone with their children—Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie—while Andrew traveled the world.
In an interview with Saga (via the Express), Dame Jenni Murray revealed a conversation she allegedly had with Ferguson in 1989, three years after the former duchess's wedding to Andrew. "I was shown into the sitting room of a flat on the third floor of the palace, looking out at Queen Victoria's statue," Murray shared. "A young woman, wearing a pinny [apron], her hair tucked into a mob cap came in, I thought she was a maid, it was Sarah."
Before long, Murray realized that Ferguson wasn't entirely happy with her new life within the Royal Family. "It became apparent quickly that I was talking to a lonely, deeply unhappy woman who made no secret—privately, but not on tape—of her concerns about her husband," the source shared.
Murray revealed that, as Ferguson was rarely asked to travel internationally alongside Andrew, she was lonely, and never knew exactly what her husband was doing. "She was never asked to join his travels," Murray told the outlet. "She was alone with the child and always wondered what he was up to and with whom."
Alongside Andrew, Ferguson was forced to give up all of the royal titles earlier this year. Once the former Duchess of York leaves Royal Lodge, she will no longer be sharing a property with her ex-husband, and will instead be seeking private accommodation, according to reports.
