Wedding of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson

Courtship and engagement

Prince Andrew, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sarah Ferguson, the daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson and his first wife Susan Wright, first met when they were children, but had not been romantically involved until they met again at a party at Floors Castle in 1985. They began their relationship that very same year, after a party held at Windsor Castle in honour of the Royal Ascot races. Diana, Princess of Wales, Andrew's sister-in-law, played a hand in matchmaking the couple.

Andrew proposed to Sarah on 19 February 1986, his twenty-sixth birthday. Their engagement was announced on 17 March 1986. Andrew presented Sarah with a Garrard engagement ring made from sketches he had made. The ring has a Burma ruby surrounded by ten drop-diamonds. The mounting was eighteen-carat white and yellow gold. Andrew's bachelor party was held at Aubrey House in Holland Park. It was attended by Prince Charles, Billy Connolly, David Frost and Elton John.

Wedding ceremony

Four months after announcing their engagement, Andrew and Sarah married on 23 July 1986, at Westminster Abbey in London. Sarah made her way with her father Ronald from Clarence House in the Glass Coach, arriving at the church at 11:30. The Archbishop of Canterbury conducted at the 45-minute wedding ceremony. As the couple exchanged vows, Sarah mistakenly repeated Andrew's middle name, Christian; five years earlier, Diana, Princess of Wales, made a similar mistake by reversing the order of Prince Charles's names.

Both Andrew's brothers participated in the wedding ceremony; Prince Edward was his best man, and Prince Charles read a lesson during the service. The bridesmaids and page boys included Princess Anne's children Peter and Zara Phillips, and Prince Charles's eldest son Prince William.

The Duke and Duchess of York left Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace in an open-top 1902 State Landau. Around 100,000 people gathered to witness the Andrew and Sarah's first kiss as man and wife on the balcony of the palace. After a traditional wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace, the married couple and some 300 guests moved to a party at Claridge's hotel.

Clothing

Prince Andrew was dressed in a ceremonial attire of a naval lieutenant, while Sarah wore an ivory-silk wedding grown designed by Lindka Cierach.

Best man, bridesmaids and page boys

Prince Edward was the best man. The flower girls were Alice Ferguson, Sarah's half-sister from her father's second marriage, Lady Rosanagh Innes-Ker, the daughter of Guy Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe; Laura Fellowes, the daughter of Diana's sister Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes, and Zara Phillips, the daughter of Andrew's sister Anne. Andrew Ferguson, Sarah's paternal half-brother, Seamus Luedecke, the son of Sarah's sister Jane Luedecke, Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne, and Prince William were the page boys.

Musical Selection

Organist & Choir Director: Simon Preston

Laudate Dominum (from Vesperae solennes de confessore) by W. A. Mozart sung by soprano Felicity Lott

Exsultate, Jubilate by W. A. Mozart sung by Arleen Auger

Alleluja (from motet Exsultate, Jubilate sung by Arleen Auger

British royal family and relatives

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the groom's parents

The Prince and Princess of Wales, the groom's brother and his wife

Prince William of Wales, the groom's nephew

Prince Henry of Wales, the groom's nephew

Princess Anne, Mrs Phillips and Captain Mark Phillips, the groom's sister and her first husband

Mr Peter Phillips, the groom's nephew

Miss Zara Phillips, the groom's niece

The Prince Edward, the groom's brother

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the groom's grandmother

The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the groom's aunt

Viscount Linley, the groom's cousin

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, the groom's cousin

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the groom's grandaunt

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the groom's cousin, once removed and his wife

Earl of Ulster, the groom's second cousin

Lady Davina Windsor, the groom's second cousin

Lady Rose Windsor, the groom's second cousin

Prince George, Duke of Kent's family:

The Duke and Duchess of Kent, the groom's cousin, once removed and his wife

Earl of St Andrews, the groom's second cousin

Lady Helen Windsor, the groom's second cousin

Lord Nicholas Windsor, the groom's second cousin

Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Mrs Ogilvy and The Hon. Mr Angus Ogilvy, the groom's cousin, once removed and her husband

Mr James Ogilvy, the groom's second cousin

Miss Marina Ogilvy, the groom's second cousin

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the groom's cousin, once removed and his wife

Lord Frederick Windsor, the groom's second cousin

Lady Gabriella Windsor, the groom's second cousin

Lady Mary Whitley, the groom's second cousin, once removed

The Lady Saltoun, wife of the groom's third cousin

The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, the groom's first cousin once removed

Lord Romsey, the groom's second cousin

Lady Pamela Hicks, the groom's first cousin once removed

Lady Rose Anson, the groom's second cousin, twice removed (bridesmaid)

Ferguson family and relatives

Mr and Mrs Ronald Ferguson, the bride's father and stepmother

Mrs and Mr Hector Barrantes, the bride's mother and stepfather

Mrs Jane Ferguson, the bride's sister

Miss Seamus Makim, the bride's niece

Miss Ayesha Makim, the bride's niece

Miss Heidi Luedecke, the bride's niece

Mr Andrew Ferguson, the bride's paternal half-brother

Mrs Alice Stileman, the bride's paternal half-sister

Miss Eliza Ferguson, the bride's paternal half-sister

Members of foreign royal families

Norway:

The King of Norway

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway

Sweden:

The King and Queen of Sweden

The Netherlands:

The Queen and Prince Claus of the Netherlands

Romania:

King Michael I and Queen Anne of the Romanians

Greece:

King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece

Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark

Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark

Luxembourg:

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Liechtenstein:

The Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein

Japan:

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan

Jordan:

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Jordan

Yugoslávia:

Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia

Prince and Princess Tomislav of Yugoslavia

Prince Nikola of Yugoslavia

Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia

Prince Christopher of Yugoslavia

Princess Maria Tatiana of Yugoslavia

Prince and Princess Alexander of Yugoslavia

Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia

Monaco:

The Hereditary Prince of Monaco

Hanover:

Prince and Princess George William of Hanover

Prince Georg of Hanover

Prince Karl of Hesse and Countess Yvonne Szapáry von Muraszombath

Princess Christina Margarethe, Mrs van Eyck and Mr Robert Floris van Eyck

Princess Dorothea and Prince Friedrich Karl zu Windisch-Grätz

Hesse and by Rhine:

The Princess of Hesse and by Rhine

Hohenlohe-Langenburg:

The Prince and Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Prince Andreas and Princess Luise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Prince Albrecht and Princess Maria-Hildegard of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Other notable guests

Sir Michael Caine, CBE

Sir Elton John, CBE

Estée Lauder

Nancy Reagan, the First Lady of the United States

Public reception

The BBC reported that 500 million television viewers tuned in to watch the wedding of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson. An estimated crowd of 100,000 gathered to see the couple's first public kiss as man and wife on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Honeymoon

The Duke and Duchess of York made their way to Heathrow Airport in an open carriage, with a paper mache satellite dish and sign attached reading "Phone Home" put there as a practical joke by Prince Edward. The Princess of Wales and Viscount Linley, Princess Margaret's son, placed a king-sized teddy bear inside the coach. The couple boarded a royal jet, emblazoned with "Just Married" on the rear door, for the Azores Islands, and then spent their five-day honeymoon aboard the royal yacht Britannia in the Atlantic.

Titles upon marriage

On the day of the wedding, the Queen created Prince Andrew Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh—the first two titles were previously held by his maternal great-grandfather King George V, and grandfather King George VI. By marriage, Sarah became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York, Countess of Inverness and Baroness of Killyleagh, also attaining the rank of Princess of the United Kingdom.

Aftermath

The Duke and Duchess of York appeared to have a happy marriage, producing two daughters, Princess Beatrice (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) and Princess Eugenie (Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990), who were, as of July 2013, sixth and seventh, respectively, in the line of succession to the British throne. However, it was reported that Andrew's obligations as a naval helicopter pilot and critical attention Sarah received from the media contributed to the couple's estrangement. Andrew and Sarah announced their separation on 19 March 1992, and divorced on 30 May 1996.

After the couple's divorce, Sarah lost the style Her Royal Highness, becoming "Sarah, Duchess of York", and she was no longer a British Princess. The custody of Beatrice and Eugenie was shared between their parents, and Sarah continued to live at the Duke's home, Sunninghill Park, until 2004, when he moved to the Royal Lodge. Sarah even hinted at the idea of remarrying Andrew in several interviews, but numerous personal scandals in which she was involved after her divorce led to Sarah's exclusion from the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011. In August 2013, Sarah was invited to stay at Balmoral Castle with Andrew and their daughters as guests of the Queen, and in September 2013, in response to a question about the possibility of remarrying Andrew, Sarah said, "He’s still my handsome prince, he’ll always be my handsome prince."