In the eyes of Major Ronald Ferguson, the father of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, it is Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who must be blamed for the breakdown of her daughter's marriage. The former Life Guards servant was aware that Sarah was in an unhappy union early on and it was because Prince Andrew, the third child of Queen Elizabeth, was never around.
According to reports, Ferguson knew that something was wrong in Sarah's marriage to Prince Andrew right after their second child, Princess Eugenie was born in 1990. He believed that things might have been better for this royal couple if Prince Andrew made an effort to be with his family often. At that time, Prince Andrew worked as a naval helicopter pilot, which meant that he could only see his wife and kids about 40 days in a year because he was stationed elsewhere.
Ferguson also shared that Prince Andrew and Sarah's marriage was further poisoned by the gossiping and backbiting among palace staff. He felt that all the talks and speculations about Prince Andrew and Sarah contributed to his daughter's miserable life as a royal.
Sarah's father, who died of a heart attack in 2003, however, didn't have a good relationship with Buckingham Palace either. This animosity stemmed from the elder Ferguson's memoir released in 1994, where he had detailed the on-goings in the royal family.
Prince Andrew and Sarah were married in 1986 and officially divorced in 1996 after two children. In an interview with Mirror, Sarah said that she and Prince Andrew actually talked about separating a lot earlier than what was officially announced.
Though the Duchess of York also said that Prince Andrew's absence in the family was a reason for their marriage's failure, there were also other things that made Sarah decide to end the relationship. She revealed in her book, "My Story," that she couldn't stand the scrutiny of the British press about their royal life. She also confirmed her father's suspicion that the gossips took a toll on her as well.
Despite their marriage not working out, however, Prince Andrew and Sarah are good friends and still celebrate family milestones with their daughters. Prince Andrew's ex-wife is one of his most loyal supporters especially now that he's dealing with the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal, in which he was forced to resign from his royal role.
