Second time lucky
Fergie and Andrew to wed again
Arriving in Scotland for a month-long holiday with the Queen, Prince Andrew, the Duchess of York and their daughter Princess Eugenie looked every bit a tightknit family.
Despite divorcing more than 20 years ago, the former couple have maintained a very close friendship – even continuing to live together in Andrew’s Windsor mansion and sharing a ski chalet in Switzerland.
But now, Woman’sDay can reveal this unconventional friendship is, in fact, much more – with the real reason for the trip to Balmoral to ask the Queen’s permission to remarry!
“The Queen has already given her tacit approval to Andrew and Sarah to marry again,” discloses a pal of the couple. “But Prince Philip has been a tougher nut to crack.
“He never liked Sarah all those years ago when her and Andy’s marriage was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. And he was the one who coined the phrase ‘Frightful Fergie’. But gradually, he has accepted her back into the fold, but it’s taken a lot of hard work from Prince Andrew to convince him that he needs to let bygones be bygones.”
Our source believes the Balmoral break is intended as a “charm offensive” to seal the deal, with Sarah telling friends she’s determined not to put a foot wrong.
The pair, who first wed in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 1986, are hoping to come up with a game plan for how they will announce their happy news. They know it will make headlines, but our source says they’re keen to coattail on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement announcement, which is expected any day.
Fairy tale ending
“Fergie and Andrew would love to quietly remarry with no fanfare, and they’re hoping that the public will be so excited about Harry’s wedding that they’ll barely notice their own announcement,” says the source. “They know it won’t be approved of in some quarters, but they have seen how most people have come to accept Charles and Camilla, and they think, ‘Why not us?’”
It’s expected Andrew and Sarah, both 57, will make their announcement at the end of September, a couple of weeks after Harry and Meghan’s wedding plans are revealed. They then hope to remarry next Easter at Windsor Guildhall, where Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wed in 2005. “It’s the perfect venue because it’s a few minutes’ drive from where they live, it’s convenient for the Queen and Prince Philip and, of course, it’s been used for a low-key royal wedding before,” says the insider.
While the couple are nervous about the public’s reaction, their daughters Eugenie, 27, and Beatrice, 29, who is set to join the family in Scotland later this month, are delighted. For years, they’ve begged their parents to tie the knot again, tells the source.
“They can see how well their parents get on and have been desperate for them all to be one big happy family again. It’s like a dream come true for them, and they can see how truly happy their mum and dad are.”
Despite occasional flings with other people, Fergie – whose brief liaison with Spanish toyboy Manuel Fernandez ended a year ago – and Andrew have been living
together full-time for many years. To those in their inner circle, it’s as though they never split up.
Recently, Sarah admitted, “We’ve never really left each other.” She has spoken about co-parenting with her ex, saying, “My daughters are the finest ambassadors of good parenting from Andrew and I.”
Says the friend, “They host dinner parties, have the kids over and go on dates together. It really is a love that never died.”
The Queen has already given her tacit approval again’ for them to wed