How Sarah Ferguson's Scandalous Affair With John Bryan Changed Her Life Forever

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew have had one of the most interesting love stories of any couple in the royal family. The two first started dating in 1985, and in 1986, they were married. They went on to have two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, but by 1992, about six years after their wedding, the royal couple separated. Ferguson has since claimed that her marriage dissolved because Andrew was away so much, making it difficult for the two to maintain their relationship, but the general public thought another reason had caused their separation when, just months later, photos of Texas financier John Bryan sucking the duchess' toes were printed. 

While Sarah Ferguson still enjoys plenty of royal privileges since splitting with Prince Andrew, her entire existence hasn't been the same since the pair's separation in early 1992. Here's how Sarah Ferguson's scandalous affair with John Bryan changed her life forever. 

Being royal in any capacity comes with challenges, but it seems especially difficult, understandably, for those who enter from the outside. One of the most difficult aspects is dealing with the media and public perception, and Sarah Ferguson knows that firsthand. When the duchess first entered the public arena as Prince Andrew's girlfriend, she was well-liked. The masses appreciated her modern approach to royalty and found her refreshing. However, her good favor with the public didn't last long, and she was cast as a lesser version of her then-sister-in-law, Princess Diana.

Things only got darker when Ferguson and Prince Andrew separated. The duchess' actions irreparably soured her reputation, and the intense public humiliation severely impacted her mental health. "I did not want to come out of the room. One of my good friends who was looking after me, she thought every time she came into the room I would have committed suicide," Ferguson said of her mental state at the time, as reported by The Sun. It was motherhood that brought Ferguson out of darkness. "It was because of my two girls that I decided that it was important to get on. I feel that I am very strong about my message now which is to experience life," she said. But she struggled for many years after with her self-image. "I have a pure heart of joy and I have just realised at the age of 56 that it is OK to be yourself."

Sarah Ferguson wasn't just in good standing with the public when she first joined the royal family — she was genuinely beloved by the Windsors, too. But her relationships with essentially everyone in the line of succession and beyond was ruined after her affair. After the toe-sucking photos circulated the globe, Ferguson reportedly entered into a feud with Prince Philip. The bad blood between the two carried on for decades, and when she got into some bizarre legal troubles, the late prince reportedly stopped anyone in the royal family from helping Ferguson.

Perhaps no such backlash Ferguson received from the royal family was as intense as what was dished out by Princess Margaret. A member of the crown by blood, Margaret reportedly wrote to Ferguson in response to the duchess sending a bouquet of flowers as an olive branch, and her words were sharp. "You have done more to bring shame on the family than could ever have been imagined," the note apparently said, as reported by The Telegraph. "Not once have you hung your head in embarrassment even for a minute after those disgraceful photographs. Clearly you have never considered the damage you are causing us all. How dare you discredit us like this and how dare you send me those flowers?" If Ferguson has gone the rest of her life without sending a bouquet of flowers to a member of the royal family, it's understandable why.

In 1996, after years of separation, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew finally got a divorce. The two had been separated since 1992, and they had still been living together, but the royals by blood and by marriage, respectively, finally signed the papers. According to the duchess, she would have rather stayed together, but what she wanted kept that from working. "I didn't want a divorce but had to because of circumstance," Ferguson told Harper's Bazaar. "I wanted to work; it's not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial, so Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job."

Ferguson's life certainly did change after their divorce was finalized (more on that later), but certain parts of it remained the same, like her relationship with her children and her dedication to being a good mother and effective co-parent. Ferguson's relationship with Andrew didn't change much, either. "We always say we are the most contented divorced couple in the world. We're divorced to each other, not from each other," the former royal said in her book, "Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself," as reported by Vanity Fair.

Titles are a tricky thing within the royal family. Marriages, divorces, births, and deaths can all result in someone gaining or losing all or part of their royal epithet, all of which are at the whim of the reigning monarch (although tradition does dictate many of the decision made regarding titles, and individuals are able to decline titles if they choose). After Sarah Ferguson left the royal family, she went from being Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York to Sarah, Duchess of York. But according to the duchess, the title change was a choice she made. "Well, you can't have it both ways. You can't sit on the fence and keep one foot in and one foot out. You're either in or out," Ferguson said to the Independent about her decision. "You chose to leave, now go and live it — and be it."

Ferguson isn't the only royal in recent memory to lose her HRH status. After her divorce from then-Prince Charles, Princess Diana was stripped of hers. Years later, Diana's son and daughter-in-law Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lost their HRH status after stepping down as senior members of the royal family. Ferguson's ex-husband, Prince Andrew, also lost his HRH title after being accused of sexual assault in connection with the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Of all those royal family members, the loss of a royal title might have had the most consequences for Ferguson, as she likely lost out on millions in income because of it, among other things.

Marrying a member of the royal family is a good way to be set up for life — but only if the marriage lasts. After Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew divorced, the duchess lost access to the finances she was afforded through the crown. Ferguson did receive a settlement from Andrew — reports say it was around $1 million — but it wasn't enough to maintain the lifestyle she wanted, and it wasn't nearly enough to maintain the lifestyle to which she had grown accustomed. Like anyone who left a marriage in which they weren't the breadwinner, after her divorce, Ferguson had to go to work.

The duchess has had many jobs since her divorce, many of which have not been the most suitable in the eyes of the royal family. One such gig was being a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. The former royal starred in a commercial for the weight loss program almost immediately after her divorce, and she even wrote a forward for a Weight Watchers book over a decade later. "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. You can eat foods you want. I wish I were a 6-foot blonde with big bosoms and tight jeans and could meet George Clooney at the corner. But I'm not. It's great to know that Weight Watchers is there to pick up the pieces," the duchess said of Weight Watchers in an interview with the San Francisco Examiner.

One common perk of joining the royal family is getting the keys to a free home. Though not quite as grand as Buckingham Palace, the royals live in swanky places, especially those only a few steps removed from the monarch. When Sarah Ferguson was married to Prince Andrew, the two lived at Sunninghill Park, a property that was built for a royal in the 1980s. In an unusual arrangement for two divorced people, Ferguson continued living with Prince Andrew at Sunninghill Park until 2004, about eight years after their divorce was finalized. But that arrangement didn't stand forever as Andrew left that year to move into the Royal Lodge. Ferguson stayed at Sunninghill Park until 2007, and then she moved into Dolphin House, a home she had to rent on her own.

Ferguson only lived in Dolphin House for a year, though, as the property was destroyed in a fire in 2008. The duchess moved into the Royal Lodge with Prince Andrew upon the tragedy, and she lived there until 2015 when she moved into a chalet in Switzerland that she owns with her ex. "She has a lot of international business commitments and has moved on considerably. So this is really showing she is becoming a more independent unit," a representative said of Ferguson's move as reported by The Telegraph. Ferguson no longer lives in Switzerland full time, though – the duchess lives with Prince Andrew at the Royal Lodge again. She also owns a townhouse in London, but she reportedly rents that out.

Not every consequence Sarah Ferguson faced after leaving the royal family was negative. In no longer being a senior member of the royal family, Ferguson no longer had to answer to the crown, giving her much more freedom. One way Ferguson exercised her freedom was by entering the entertainment industry. Now, members of the royal family aren't necessarily banned from performing — multiple people from the House of Windsor have flexed their creative muscles in that way — but it's not exactly encouraged either. For example, when Meghan Markle joined the royal family, she gave up her acting career to dedicate her time to helping Prince Harry with his royal duties, but it was reportedly presented in an unsavory manner. "They did say to Meghan, 'If you don't want to embrace royal duties full time, please be our guest and continue your acting career,'" royal biographer Andrew Morton said on an episode of the "Royally Obsessed" podcast.

When Ferguson left the royal family, she didn't have to discuss her actions with anyone anymore, and she dove in head first. The duchess appeared on an episode of "Friends," she took interviews on shows as she pleased, and she eventually stepped into the world of producing, lending her talents to the 2009 film "The Young Victoria," among other projects. The duchess has also authored multiple novels and hosted a podcast, all projects of which she likely would have needed permission to pursue prior to her divorce.

Sarah Ferguson has been booked and busy since her divorce from Prince Andrew, but she hasn't been immune to financial issues. The duchess' issues came to a head in the late 2000s when the media learned she was facing bankruptcy — Ferguson had millions in debt. The former royal didn't declare bankruptcy, though. "Bankruptcy would be the easy option. I couldn't do that. You only go bankrupt when you have lost all hope," she told Hello!, as reported by ABC News. Apparently those closest to Ferguson weren't too shocked by the ordeal. "The situation is sad but it's not surprising. This was an accident waiting to happen," one source told The Telegraph.

It's possible that the duchess would've faced financial issues whether she was part of the royal family or not — Prince Andrew, Ferguson's ex-husband, reportedly makes far less annually than King Charles. The difference is that Ferguson might have been able to receive financial help from the royal family had she not gotten divorced. Prince Andrew reportedly received help from the crown in paying his settlement from his sexual assault case. Even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly received money from the royal family before splitting for the United States. But not Ferguson. The duchess reportedly was forced to pay her debts on her own. But don't feel too bad for her. Even with her debts, Sarah Ferguson lives an incredibly lavish life.

To the public, being a member of the royal family is a lifelong appointment. But for those who exit unfavorably, like Sarah Ferguson, it's not so simple. After her divorce from Prince Andrew, Ferguson struggled to remain in good standing with certain members of the House of Windsor. As noted, her relationships with both Prince Philip and Princess Margaret were tense, and she had a complicated relationship with Princess Diana. Unfortunately, the duchess was never able to repair her relationship with Diana, and her being an outsider led to her exclusion from major royal events, like Prince William and Princess Catherine's wedding.

Eventually things did get better for the duchess, though, and Sarah Ferguson slowly worked her way back into the royal family. Ferguson and Prince Philip eventually mended fences, and she attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018, as well as Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022. The duchess also had a notably positive relationship with Queen Elizabeth despite her past. After the monarch's death, Ferguson said on an episode of her podcast "Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah," "She was so brilliant at putting you at ease. She had the most incredible faith of any single person I've ever met. She just knew what to do. She knew how to make people feel good. She never took it onboard as about her. It's about the monarchy, about making someone feel good. She was my total idol."

Sarah Ferguson has been separated from Prince Andrew for decades, but she's never remarried, nor has she publicly dated anyone. "I'd like to, but I don't meet men; besides, they're terrified of me," Ferguson told Harper's Bazaar in 2007. "I long for someone to say, 'Let's go have a glass of wine,'" she added.

Given her living situation, many people have wondered if the former couple will ever get back together, but there are plenty of signs that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will never get back together. Perhaps the most telling sign is that Ferguson has said publicly that she has no intention of remarrying Andrew. She did, however, promise Queen Elizabeth that she'd be there for the prince, and she's happy with their current arrangement. "Whatever challenges he has, I will stand firm to the co-parenters that we are together ... I believe that he's a kind, good man, and he's been a fabulous father to the girls," she told People.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).