As a longtime follower of the royal family, I’ve learned that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are stepping back from their roles as the Duke and Duchess of York. It’s a change in titles, of course, but what’s most heartwarming is that they’re still together and supporting each other through it all.
Following a scandal involving Prince Andrew—King Charles III’s brother—and renewed allegations about his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew announced he would step down from his royal duties. Shortly after, his former wife removed her royal title from her social media profiles.
Although Sarah has used her birth name publicly since her divorce from Andrew in 1996, she remains the Duchess of York officially. Changing that would require a law passed by Parliament. However, as a strong supporter of her ex-husband, she seemed willing to fulfill her role as expected.
Sarah shared on Instagram her strong support and admiration for Andrew, describing him as a man of principle who bravely defends his integrity and honesty. She posted this the day before a November 2019 interview on BBC Newsnight explored his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
The meeting was widely considered a public relations failure, and Andrew subsequently withdrew from his official royal responsibilities just days afterward.
In 2021, the author told People that Sarah remained consistently supportive of Andrew. She stated she would always be committed to co-parenting with him, believing him to be a genuinely good person and a wonderful father to their daughters.
Andrew and Sarah, both 65 and 66 years old, are now grandparents to four children: Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s daughters, Sienna and Athena, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s sons, August and Ernest.
Sarah’s appearance at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018 seemed to improve her relationship with the royal family, and since then, she and Prince Andrew have been seen together at many events, including the recent funeral of the Duchess of Kent in September.
Recent reports suggest the royal family may distance itself from Prince Andrew due to increased attention on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in August 2019 while facing sex trafficking accusations.
I still can’t believe Virginia is gone. It’s just… heartbreaking. She was so brave to come forward with everything, to say that Prince Andrew abused her, starting when she was just a teenager. And now, with her new book coming out, even though she’s not here to see it, it’s just… it’s all being laid bare again. She really wanted the truth to be known, and I’m just devastated she didn’t get to see it through. It’s awful, absolutely awful, that someone who fought so hard for justice is no longer with us.
Andrew maintains he did nothing wrong and told the BBC’s Newsnight program that he never saw or even suspected any inappropriate behavior by Epstein. He also stated he doesn’t remember meeting Giuffre and believes a widely circulated photo of them together was altered.
In 2022, he reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, where she accused him of sexual assault. Following this, he gave up his royal title (‘His Royal Highness’) and relinquished all his military roles and charitable positions to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Andrew announced he was relinquishing the title Duke of York, which his mother gave him when he married Sarah in 1986. In a statement released on October 17th, he explained that he prioritizes his family and country. He reaffirmed his 2018 decision to step away from public duties, and with the King’s approval, he will go further by no longer using the title or any honors associated with it.
“As I have said previously,” he continued, “I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Meanwhile, Sarah has also been haunted by their association with Epstein.
In September, seven charities removed her from her patron or ambassador roles after the Mail on Sunday and The Sun published a 2011 email she sent to Jeffrey Epstein. In the email, she described him as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend,” despite publicly condemning him three years earlier, after he was convicted of soliciting minors for prostitution.
In 2008, Sarah borrowed about $17,000 from Epstein, something she later admitted was a serious mistake in 2011. She expressed deep regret, saying she would repay the loan as soon as possible and cut all ties with Epstein. She strongly condemned pedophilia and child sexual abuse, reiterating that accepting the loan was a poor decision.
Last month, a representative for Sarah stated to NBC News that she only praised Epstein because he had threatened legal action against her.
The duchess expressed her regret over her past connection with Epstein, emphasizing that her primary concern remains with his victims. She, like many others, was initially deceived by his lies. Once she learned the full extent of the accusations against him, she immediately ended all contact and publicly denounced him, which led to him threatening legal action against her for falsely linking him to pedophilia.
Andrew and Sarah continue to live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, where they’ve shared a home for over 15 years, while also navigating the ongoing consequences of the Epstein case.
When Sarah rejoined the group in 2018, rumors began circulating that she and her former partner were getting back together. Her publicist addressed these rumors in April 2019, telling Vanity Fair that the two remained close friends, just as they had been for years, and that hadn’t changed.
Andrew and Sarah met and quickly fell in love in 1985, thanks to a little matchmaking by Princess Diana. She arranged for them to sit together at a luncheon during Royal Ascot week.
Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this! Andrew actually proposed to Sarah! And it wasn’t just any ring, it was a stunning ruby and diamond! They announced it on March 19th, 1986 – I literally marked it on my calendar! Then, the wedding… it was EVERYTHING. They got married at Westminster Abbey on July 23rd, with like, 2,000 people there! And get this – over 500 million people watched it on TV! I was one of them, obviously. I recorded it and I still watch it sometimes, it was magical!
Looking back, Sarah admitted she was very trusting and inexperienced when she was 26 years old, as she wrote in her 1996 autobiography, My Story.
Despite loving her husband, her life felt like a broken fairy tale. While they were given land in Berkshire by the Queen, they had to live at Buckingham Palace until their home, Sunninghill Park, was completed in 1990. Reports suggest they relied heavily on her mother-in-law’s financial support, as her husband Andrew only earned £35,000 a year from his naval career.
In her 2007 book, The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown details how Prince Andrew was home for only 42 nights in 1990 with his wife and daughters, Beatrice (born 1988) and Eugenie (born 1990). This led the Duchess of York to become more socially active, occasionally with men who weren’t her husband, which the British tabloids quickly reported on.
Sarah and Diana were often portrayed as rivals by the media, and while they were friends, the press wasn’t wrong to highlight their competition for attention. They reconnected as both of their marriages fell apart publicly in 1992, a year the Queen herself called a very difficult one.
Andrew and Sarah informed the Queen during the 1991 Christmas season that they intended to separate. However, the Daily Mail discovered the news in March 1992, prompting them to make a public announcement sooner than they’d planned – despite the Queen’s request that they wait six months.
According to biographer Andrew Morton, Princess Diana supposedly revealed the story to deflect attention from her personal issues – issues that would later be detailed in Morton’s book, Diana: Her True Story. However, the palace staff believed Sarah Ferguson was the one who told the Mail newspaper.
In her memoir, she explained that she’d been labeled as not fitting into royal life, and that judgment followed her. She felt excluded, not only within the Palace walls, but everywhere – as if people were deliberately shutting her out.
Even though tensions were high, Sarah, as the mother of two of the Queen’s granddaughters, still received an invitation to the family’s annual summer holiday at Balmoral Castle in August 1992.
The scandal began when the Mirror newspaper published photos of Sarah, Duchess of York, at a villa in the South of France with her American financial advisor, John Bryan. The pictures showed her sunbathing without a top and Bryan playfully kissing her foot—an incident that became famously known as the ‘toe-sucking scandal’ of the 1990s.
In a 2001 CNN interview, the duchess described her story as remarkable, explaining that she constantly reflects on her past actions and tries to understand her motivations.
In a 2016 interview with 60 Minutes, Sarah Ferguson revealed that her friends feared she was considering suicide.
She explained that her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who were sitting beside her, were the reason she persevered. She decided it was important to continue because of them.
Sarah and Andrew finalized their divorce in 1996. As part of the settlement, Sarah received £600,000 to buy a house and an annual allowance of around £15,000. Andrew covered the costs of their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie’s education, and the Queen established a £1.4 million trust fund for their future.
Now known simply as the Duchess of York and no longer using her ‘Her Royal Highness’ title, Sarah started working to support herself, and she made sure people noticed.
Although her actions caused a scandal in the U.K., American audiences responded positively, especially to her successful weight loss journey. This led to a decade-long partnership where she became a spokesperson for Weight Watchers.
She was a prolific writer, creating the popular Budgie children’s book series about a small helicopter, which was later adapted into a cartoon. She also wrote a biography of Queen Victoria, and in 2021 published her debut novel, Her Heart for a Compass.
Throughout this period, Andrew stayed close to his former wife. Despite reports that his father, Prince Philip, didn’t approve, she was invited back to the family’s summer vacation at Balmoral Castle in 2005 – her first visit since 1992.
And in 2008, she moved into Royal Lodge, Andrew’s official country residence since 2004.
In November 2018, Sarah told the Daily Mail that she and Andrew were “the happiest divorced couple in the world,” explaining that while they were divorced, they still maintained a close relationship.
To be continued.
Read on for more news that has moved the royal world in 2025:
Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, has announced he will stop using the title Duke of York. This decision comes because of ongoing public concern about his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex offenses.
After talking with The King and my family, I’ve realized the ongoing accusations against me are taking attention away from the important work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement. “As I’ve always done, I’m prioritizing my family and country. Therefore, I stand by my decision from five years ago to step back from public duties.”
Andrew stated that, with the King’s approval, he was taking a further step and would give up his royal title and honors. He reaffirmed that he strongly denied all accusations made against him.
In October 2025, the King and his oldest son attended the Countdown to COP30 event held at the Natural History Museum in London.
The couple posed for photos outside the museum and then went inside to meet with government officials and climate change activists. This event took place ahead of the COP30 World Leaders Summit in Belém, Brazil, in November, which Prince William will attend in place of his father.
In September 2025, Sarah, Duchess of York, stepped down as a patron of Julia’s House after an old email from 2011 surfaced. The email revealed she referred to Jeffrey Epstein as a friend.
After reports surfaced this weekend about the Duchess of York’s communication with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia’s House has decided it’s best for her to step down as a patron of the charity. The charity has informed the Duchess of this decision and expressed gratitude for her previous contributions, according to The Guardian.
A representative for Ferguson stated the email was sent following a threat made against her by Epstein.
After a 19-month absence, Prince Harry was spotted arriving at Clarence House—the King’s home in London—apparently to visit his father before attending another event in the city.
Harry arrived at the house around 5:20 p.m. on September 10th, but Charles had come back just a few hours earlier.
Princess Anne’s son and his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling, announced their engagement on August 1st. They had been dating for over a year. He shares a father, Mark Phillips, with his ex-wife.
The couple’s spokesperson told Hello! magazine that both families were told about the engagement at the same time and were very happy about it.
Just a day before turning 78, the royal was made an honorary Vice Admiral by the Royal Navy.
Camilla is the first woman to receive this honorary title. It’s awarded solely at the discretion of the monarch—in this case, her husband, King Charles III—based on a recommendation from the First Sea Lord, currently Sir Gwyn Jenkins.
Just hours before she was scheduled to attend, Princess Kate canceled her appearance at Royal Ascot, according to Kensington Palace.
The palace says Kate was sad to miss the event, but she’s still working out how to manage her public appearances as she recovers from cancer.
Prince Harry’s legal battle for extra security ended on May 2nd when the courts rejected his claim. This came more than a year after a previous request for increased protection was denied by the High Court and the Royal and VIP Executive Committee.
After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stopped being full-time working royals in 2021 and moved to the U.S., their security protection was reduced. However, Harry continued to request security arrangements whenever he traveled to the U.K. in the following years.
Prince Harry told the BBC on May 2nd that he was deeply upset by the outcome of his recent legal fight. He added that, currently, he doesn’t foresee a situation where he would bring his wife and children back to the United Kingdom.
In an interview with the BBC on May 2nd, Prince Harry said his father, King Charles III, isn’t currently speaking to him due to disagreements about security. He expressed hope that they could resolve their differences and rebuild their relationship.
Prince Harry expressed a desire to rebuild his relationship with his family, including his father, but indicated the next step depends on his dad. He shares two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with Meghan.
He doesn’t foresee returning to the U.K. with his family anytime soon. He expressed sadness that his children won’t have the opportunity to experience his home country with him.
Harry explained that his father has significant influence and could potentially solve the situation. He doesn’t need to get directly involved – simply letting the professionals handle things would likely be enough.
After years of fighting, he’s now seeking peace and a way to make amends. He explained, “Life is short, and my father doesn’t have much time left.”
More than a year after revealing his cancer diagnosis, King Charles wrote on April 29th that going through treatment has shown him the incredible kindness and strength of people.
In a booklet offering support to cancer patients and their families, Charles wrote that receiving a diagnosis is understandably scary. However, drawing from his own experience, he also believes it can reveal the kindness and strength people are capable of.
He expressed his gratitude to the healthcare workers who cared for him, and shared that the experience deepened his respect for the incredible work done by the organizations and people present, many of whom he’s known and supported for a long time.
Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – were absent from the royal family’s traditional Easter service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on April 20th.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla joined the rest of the royal family in celebrations, but Prince William and Kate chose to spend the weekend at their country home in Norfolk with their children, according to several news sources.
This was the second Easter the couple missed. It happened just a week after Princess Catherine shared news of her cancer diagnosis.
On April 15th, Jason Knauf was named the new Chief Executive Officer of The Earthshot Prize, Prince William’s environmental initiative. In a statement on the organization’s website, Knauf expressed his excitement about collaborating with the team and community to further their goal of promoting hopeful solutions for the planet.
He was promoted almost seven years after he raised concerns about Meghan Markle, claiming she bullied two personal assistants and tried to discredit another staff member. Representatives for the Sussexes refuted these claims, telling The Times that the story was a deliberately damaging smear campaign fueled by false information.
Buckingham Palace looked into the claims, but the investigation concluded in 2022 with no public announcement of its results.
William and Kate’s eldest son George attended a soccer match in Paris alongside his dad April 7.
A father and son happily watched the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa at Parc des Princes stadium.
Graham Craker, a former bodyguard to Prince Harry and Prince William, passed away in April at the age of 77.
Craker was with Princes William and Harry when they found out their mother, Princess Diana, had passed away, and he was present at her funeral.
In 2017, Craker told The New York Post that he saw Prince William during the procession. He explained that he was standing near the back of the hearse when Prince William looked up and made eye contact. Craker nodded in return, and Prince William seemed reassured to know that Craker was with his mother during her final journey.
Hugh and Olivia Grosvenor, who is the godson of King Charles III, shared the happy news on March 12th that they are expecting their first child.
A spokesperson announced to The Telegraph that the duchess is pregnant and expecting a baby this summer. The couple expressed their joy and excitement about starting a family.
Prince Frederik, the son of Prince Robert and Princess Julie, passed away on March 1st at the age of 22 after a long illness with a rare genetic condition called PolG mitochondrial disease.
Honestly, Frederik is my superhero – he’s always been that way to my whole family, and so many of our friends. It’s amazing how many people he’s touched now, especially with the PolG Foundation – it’s truly worldwide! What I admire most is how he inspires everyone around him just by being himself. He leads by example, and it’s just… incredible. He’s not just a hero to me, he’s a real inspiration.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, reached a legal settlement with News Group Newspapers – the company behind both The Sun and the now-closed News of the World – on January 22nd. He had sued the organization in 2019, claiming that journalists and investigators working for its newspapers illegally obtained information about the royal family.
According to NBC News, the settlement involved the company paying a significant amount in damages and offering a complete and sincere apology to Prince Harry. They also publicly admitted to the widespread and deeply invasive media coverage of both his and Princess Diana’s personal lives.
On January 14th, The Princess of Wales shared the wonderful news that her cancer treatment has been successful and she is now in remission.
She shared on X (formerly Twitter) on January 14th that she’s grateful to be in remission and is continuing to focus on getting better. She also noted that, like anyone facing a cancer diagnosis, it takes time to adapt to life afterward.
She added that she was excited about the year ahead and optimistic about what it would bring.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is grieving the loss of her rescue beagle, whom she adopted back in 2015, before she met Prince Harry.
On January 7th, she shared a vulnerable post on Instagram, writing about feeling overwhelmed with tears. She described crying so much that she’d stand in the shower, hoping the water would wash away the pain, even though she knew it wouldn’t. She ended by acknowledging that it’s okay to feel those emotions.
Meghan lovingly remembered her dog, Guy, saying, ‘Thank you for all the years of unwavering love. You brought so much joy to my life.’
Edward Pettifer, the stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke (also known as Alexandra Pettifer), was a victim of the terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
Prince William and Catherine were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Ed Pettifer. In a message shared on Kate Middleton’s Instagram on January 4th, William stated their thoughts are with the Pettifer family and everyone affected by this terrible tragedy.
Meghan Markle, known for her role in the TV show Suits, started her own Instagram account on January 1st. She had previously closed down her personal social media accounts before marrying Prince Harry in 2018.
The next day, she revealed a new Netflix series called With Love, Meghan. A press release described it as a fresh take on lifestyle shows, combining helpful tips and honest chats with both familiar and new friends.
In June 2025, Prince William and Kate Middleton made a special appearance at Wimbledon with their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
It’s always a joy to return to Wimbledon for the Championships! This weekend was particularly special celebrating the incredible performances we witnessed. Huge congratulations to Iga Świątek and Jannik Sinner on becoming this year’s champions – truly well-deserved wins! And I have to say, a massive thank you to everyone who works so hard to make Wimbledon such a magical event. It really takes a village!
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2025-10-26 02:20