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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Daniel Bird

'Relatable Sarah Ferguson proves she needs no HRH title - she is The Duchess'

It's no secret that Sarah Ferguson has had her fair share of controversies over the course of her lifetime, from toe-sucking gate to facing bankruptcy - but she's always remained a positive force within the Royal Family.

Sarah, 61, married Prince Andrew in 1986 having known him for several decades before they walked down the aisle.

However, they sadly split in 1991 after only seeing each other for 40 days of the year during their five-year marriage.

Following their divorce, Sarah became embroiled in several scandals, famously with her financial advisor sucking her toes while on holiday in St Tropez.

Sarah Ferguson - affectionately known as Fergie by the public - has just released her first adult novel (Debbie Hare)

This was the first time a royal had been embroiled in such a scandal and to make matters worse, Sarah was staying at Balmoral at the time the scandalous pictures emerged, along with the rest of the family.

It's claimed that the late Diana, Princess of Wales had paged a royal writer saying: "The redhead's in trouble."

Sources claimed that the late Prince Philip had once described Fergie as his favourite daughter-in-law but was left seeing red after the scandal emerged.

Why after all these years is Fergie still as popular with the British public as she was at the time of her marriage? It's simply because she is relatable.

Fergie has found herself a unique place in the British public's heart - neither part of the Royal Family nor totally divorced from it (Debbie Hare)

Despite marrying into and separating from one of the wealthiest families within the UK, Fergie has always remained herself and never shies away from embracing people.

We saw this at the wedding of her daughter Princess Eugenie, when she ran from the steps of St George's Chapel and hugged members of the public.

Sarah was stripped of her Royal Highness title following her divorce from Prince Andrew but kept her title as Duchess of York - something she is immensely proud of.

Following their - in my opinion - heartbreaking divorce, the Duchess has maintained a key role within the Firm and in the eyes of the public.

Fergie with Diana in 1983, while they were both still married to their respective princes (Getty Images)

Fergie has never shied away from getting her hands dirty and admitting she has to work for a living, signing brand deals with the likes of Weight Watchers and now is a top author.

Whilst she may be seen as a celebrity to some, Sarah has remained dedicated to causes close to her heart including Teenage Cancer Trust and her own charity, Children in Crisis, building schools in Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as other countries.

Now Fergie focuses on her work with the charity that has since merged with Street Child but she's not stopping there.

Fergie has gone on to create yet another charity, Sarah's Trust, which focuses on every child's right to receive an education.

Prince Andrew with Sarah Ferguson outside Buckingham Palace on their wedding day (Getty)
The pair divorced after spending just 40 days of the year together (Hulton Archive)

This is all the work of somebody who, after splitting from the Royal Family could have gone on to live a relatively quiet life, but no, Sarah's dedication to her charity work has proven that despite having no HRH title, she is the ultimate royal - who puts the lives of others before herself.

Sarah still lives with Andrew at their family home, Royal Lodge, within the grounds of Windsor Castle where the Queen has lived for the past year.

It's claimed that since the death of Prince Philip, Fergie has been key to the Queen's happiness, often enjoying walks together within Windsor Great Park.

Fergie has always been close to the Queen, even after her divorce from Andrew (Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)

Now, for somebody who could have cut contact with her "former" in-laws, Fergie's relationship with the Mountbatten-Windsor family has certainly not changed.

Over the years, there has been speculation that she and Prince Andrew may one day remarry, but why should they? The pair are clearly still head over heels with one another, as neither of them has moved on since their separation.

All in all, Fergie is a trooper and her dedication to others has proven that despite being stripped of her title, no royal title would be fitting enough for the Queen of Redheads.

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