Are Prince Andrew and His Ex-Wife Sarah Ferguson Related?
Although the thought of marrying someone you may be related to makes most of us cringe today, it’s actually a common thing the royals have done for centuries. So while we know some members of the royal family have wed people they are related to, exactly who that is and are how they are related is where things get confusing.
One question that constantly comes up is about the former couple, who divorced more than 20 years ago but still lives together today, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Here is the answer to whether the Duke and Duchess of York were related, plus some other royal couples you probably didn’t know shared the same ancestors.
Are Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson related?
The prince’s ex-wife was born on Oct. 15, 1959, to an aristocratic family with blood ties to the royals.
According to Reader’s Digest, she and Andrew are related through Fergie’s paternal grandmother, Marian Montagu Douglas Scott, who was the first cousin of Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester, an aunt of Queen Elizabeth II and sister-in-law of the Queen Mother.
Prince Andrew and Ferguson were married in 1986. They separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.
Fergie’s related to this princess as well
Another royal Ferguson’s related to was the late Princess Diana.
The two were fourth cousins as they are both descendants of William Cavendish, Fourth Duke of Devonshire. The ladies fell out of touch for some time but reconnected again when Diana was 19 and Ferguson was 21. It was actually Diana who invited Fergie to an event at Windsor Castle where she and Andrew sat next to each other and really hit it off.
The relationship between the duchess and Princess of Wales soured over the years. In 1996, Diana stopped speaking to Ferguson and the two women never made amends before the princess’ tragic death one year later.
Other royals who are related
The Duke and Duchess of York are not the only members of the royal family to marry someone they are somehow related to.
In fact, Prince Charles was related to his first wife, Princess Diana. The two were 16th cousins once removed as they are both descendants of Tudor King, Henry VII. They are also said to be 7th cousins once removed. The Duke of Marlborough was another one of Diana’s royal ancestors. Charles and Diana’s children, Princes William and Harry, found out that they are distantly related to their spouses as well.
Elle noted that while planning their wedding in 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle discovered that they are actually distant cousins through a late 15th Century ancestor of Markle’s father and the Queen Mother named Ralph Bowes.
Harry’s brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, have a common ancestor as well. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are 11th cousins once removed through Sir William Blakiston, who was a Baronet. According to The Sun, they also have a distant relation via Sir Thomas Leighton. The English soldier and politician is the duchess’s 11th generation great-grandad and Prince William’s 12th.
As for the most famous royal couple, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are related as well. They are second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and also third cousins as they are both direct descendants of Queen Victoria who was their great-great-grandmother.
Read more: Was Prince Charles Related to His First Wife, Princess Diana?
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