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Prince Andrew, Duke of York, KG, GCVO, CD, ADC(P) (Andrew Albert Christian Edward, born 19 February 1960), is the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his birth, he was second in the line of succession to succeed his mother; he is currently sixth in line.
He also holds the actual rank of commander and the honorary rank of vice admiral (as of February 2015) in the Royal Navy, in which he served as an active duty helicopter pilot and later instructor in helicopter flight. He saw active service during the Falklands War, flying on multiple missions including anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy and casualty evacuation.
In 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson; the couple´s marriage, subsequent separation and eventual divorce in 1996 attracted a high level of media coverage. As well as carrying out various royal duties, he served as Britain´s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment until July 2011. Since 2011 Prince Andrew has been under intense press scrutiny for allegations of sex with underage prostitutes, which the Prince has denied.
Sarah, Duchess of York (Sarah Margaret; née Ferguson; born 15 October 1959) is a British writer, charity patron, public speaker, film producer and television personality. Referred to as "Fergie", she is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She is the younger daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson and Susan Barrantes (née Wright). Her children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, are respectively seventh and eighth in line to succeed their grandmother as monarch of 16 independent Commonwealth realms.
On 17 March 1986,[9] Prince Andrew, (the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and fourth in line to the throne at the time) and Sarah Ferguson announced their engagement.[10] Prince Andrew had known Ferguson since childhood, and they had met occasionally at polo matches, and became re-acquainted with each other at Royal Ascot in 1985.[11] He designed an engagement ring consisting of ten diamonds surrounding a Burmese ruby for her. He chose the Burmese ruby to complement her fiery red hair.[12]
After securing the Queen´s permission (which is required by a British law, the Royal Marriages Act 1772, for children of the monarch), Andrew and Sarah were married in Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986. The Queen bestowed the title Duke of York upon Prince Andrew, and as his new wife Sarah automatically assumed her husband´s royal and ducal status and became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York.
The couple became parents on 8 August 1988, with the birth of their daughter, Beatrice. Their second child, another daughter, Eugenie, was born on 23 March 1990.[13] During her marriage, the tabloid press ridiculed the Duchess after her weight climbed to 15 stone 10 pounds (100 kg) (220 lbs) labelling her unflatteringly as the "Duchess of Pork".[14]
By 1991, the marriage was in trouble, and the couple had drifted apart. While her husband was away on naval or royal duties, the Duchess was frequently seen in the company of other men, notably Texan multimillionaire Steve Wyatt.[15] The Duke and Duchess of York finally announced their separation on 19 March 1992.[16]
In August 1992, surreptitiously taken photographs of the Duchess sunbathing topless with John Bryan, an American financial manager, were published in the British tabloid Daily Mirror. The Duchess endured widespread public ridicule contributing to her further estrangement from the British Royal Family.[17] After four years of official separation, the Duke and Duchess announced the mutual decision to divorce in May 1996.[18]
By her divorce on 30 May 1996, she retained the style Her Royal Highness with the style of other divorced peeresses, eliminating the preface "The" before "Duchess of York". However, in accordance with letters patent issued in August 1996 regulating post-divorce royal titles, Sarah ceased being a Royal Highness, as she was no longer married to the Duke of York.[19] Her current name, thus, is Sarah, Duchess of York. Should she marry again, Sarah would lose the use of the style of "Duchess of York".
Since the divorce, Sarah still attends some functions with her daughters, such as the investiture of the Duke of York into the Royal Victorian Order, on which occasions she is afforded the courtesy of treatment as a member of the Royal Family, although the Lord Chamberlain´s Diamond Jubilee Guidelines mention the Duchess specifically as being a member of the Royal Family in her own right.