FERGIE GETS A LIFT!
She’sfeeling betterthan everbefore
There’s no denying the Duchess of York has lived through her fair share of scandal. But as Sarah Ferguson celebrates her 60th birthday this week, the once-disgraced royal looks like she doesn’t have a care in the world
The flame-haired duchess, who was famously ousted from the royal fold in 1992 after she was photographed having her toes sucked by an amorous lover, has a lot to smile about as she enters her seventh decade.
On the family front, she’s thrilled her daughters have found the kind of happiness she always wished for them: her youngest, Princess Eugenie, 29, is blissfully married to tequila ambassador Jack Brooksbank, 33, and her eldest, Princess Beatrice, 31, has just announced her engagement to property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 35.
And on the royal front, things are equally rosy given that the Queen and Prince Philip have finally thawed towards her – even inviting her to their summer retreat at Balmoral this year!
No wonder the effervescent duchess, affectionately known as Fergie, is in the mood to let her hair down on October 15.
“Fergie’s planning on seeing in her 60th birthday in style,” tells a royal insider. “She’s hosting a lavish party at one of London’s most exclusive private members’ clubs called Annabel’s. And that’s just the beginning! She’s following it up with another bash at the home she shares with Prince Andrew in Windsor and then, later on in the year, there will be another celebration – in Tanzania.”
Fergie says she’s feeling “sexy, sassy and super saucy” as she turns 60 and has candidly revealed a long list of cosmetic procedures she’s had to look her best ahead of her birthday (see right). Well, she’s never done things by halves.
She burst on to the royal scene in 1985 when she began dating Andrew, who was bowled over by her infectious sense of humour. The besotted pair wed the following year and by mid-1990 they were the proud parents of Beatrice and Eugenie.
But their happiness didn’t last: due to Andrew’s naval career, they only saw each other for around 40 days a year and in 1992 they sadly split.
It wasn’t long after their supposed ‘trial’ separation that Fergie was snapped in St Tropez getting intimate with her financial adviser John Bryan. It was all too much for the senior members of the royal household and a reunion with Andrew was immediately ruled out.
A brush with bankruptcy followed, but Fergie rebuilt her life by becoming an ambassador for Weight Watchers for 11 years – a deal that earned her the respect of the public and a reported $4 million a year.
Any hopes she had of one day being accepted back into the royal family, however, came crashing down in 2010 when she was exposed trying to sell a businessman access to Andrew for $1 million.
The Queen and Prince Philip were seriously not amused.
Throughout her years of shame, however, Andrew never left Fergie’s side. They were officially divorced in 1996 but have continued to live under the same roof, raising their girls, enjoying each other’s company and never ruling out the possibility of marrying again.
“We are completely compatible,” Fergie once said. “The way we are is our fairytale. We stand up for each other, fight for each other and we sit around the table and have afternoon tea together.”
It was in the lead-up to Eugenie’s wedding last year that the Queen and Prince Philip finally extended an olive branch to their former daughter-in-law, 26 years after her banishment.
Relations became even warmer when Fergie was invited to spend time with them at Balmoral Castle this past European summer. Even
then, scandal came knocking at the door, although this time it was Andrew in the firing line. In August, he was caught up in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal, accused of having slept with one of the convicted paedophile’s teenage sex slaves.
The prince denied his involvement and a judge later threw out the allegations, but Andrew, 59, immediately fled the castle, accompanied by Sarah, who was determined to publicly show her support.
Now, with her milestone birthday upon her, our source says the duchess has ensured her beloved ex-husband is right by her side.
“She’s gone all-out for her party,” tells our source. “She’s hired a string of performers including Sir Elton John, Ellie Goulding and Sir Paul McCartney, and has invited everyone from the Beckhams and Kate Moss to Adele, who’s warned her she’ll be getting far too drunk to sing!
“She doesn’t care about the scandal Andrew has been embroiled in. She’s told him she wants him there partying with her, not sulking and hiding away.”
For the lavish dinner party she is then hosting at Windsor, Fergie is flying in chefs from around the world and putting on an extravagant fireworks display. “Charles and Camilla haven’t been invited,” says the source, “but Diana’s two sisters and brother are on the guest list.”
Soon after, the duchess is taking her closest friends as well as Beatrice, Eugenie and their partners to an exclusive private island off the coast of Tanzania called
Thanda Island for a threeday celebration – which she’s assured everyone will be her “wildest yet!”
“Fergie’s never felt more happy or content,” tells our source, adding that she’s highly amused she will be making history when Beatrice marries Edoardo in 2020.
Earlier this year, a law was passed allowing couples in Britain to include their mothers’ names on their marriage certificates. Previously only fathers of the bride and groom were registered, and the change means Fergie will be the first mother of the bride recorded at a royal wedding.
“Fergie never dreamed she’d be turning 60 watching her girls so happy and being back on such good terms with the Queen and Prince Philip,” says our source. “It’s beyond her wildest expectations and she’s so excited that the next decade will most likely bring her the additional joy of grandchildren.”