The real reason Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, continue to share a home with her ex-husband Prince Andrew 27 years after they finalised their divorce?

The real reason Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, continue to share a home with her ex-husband Prince Andrew 27 years after they finalised their divorce?

There have been few friends to whom the Duke of York can turn for support as he struggles to salvage what is left of his reputation, both at home, where he has become a pariah even among other members of the royal family, and in America where he is battling to clear his name in a sexual assault civil lawsuit.

Yet one figure remains steadfast throughout the prince's seemingly relentless decline - his former wife Sarah, who has been doggedly forthright in her support of the man from whom she was divorced 27 years ago but still describes as the 'love of my life.'

In the past few months the Duchess of York (as she still styles herself) has been particularly active in defending Andrew via a series of media appearances, declaring that he is, quite simply, 'a wonderful man'.

She asserts that the duke had been a victim of 'wrongful perception' in the furore over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and his subsequent legal battle with Virginia Giuffre (who alleges that she was forced into having sex with him when she was 17, claims which Andrew has always strenuously denied, and had been trafficked by Epstein).

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York divorced 27 years ago in 1996 but still live together at the Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate. Pictured: Andrew and Sarah at the Wentworth Golf Club, Surrey in 1995 

Their unconventional relationship has now developed into what Sarah, 63, describes as 'the happiest divorced couple we know'. Pictured: The Duchess of York and Prince Andrew at the Royal Ascot in 2019

Sarah and Andrew still live together at the Royal Lodge (pictured) in Windsor Great Park, the ten-bedroom former residence of the Queen Mother, although this cosy arrangement may soon come to an end as part of King Charles's projected reshuffle of royal residences

'I stand by Andrew 100 per cent,' she said on an Italian talk show, adding that the happiest day of her life was her wedding day in 1986, 'when I married the best man in the world; my handsome prince.' 

Their unconventional relationship has now developed into what Sarah, 63, describes as 'the happiest divorced couple we know,' with the pair appearing to spend more time together than during the ten years they were actually married (when Andrew was often away on naval service).

They still share a home, living at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, the ten-bedroom former residence of the Queen Mother, although this cosy arrangement may soon come to an end as part of King Charles's projected reshuffle of royal residences.

And the pair regularly holiday together with their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, leading to sporadic speculation that given neither Sarah nor Andrew has found subsequent great romance, there is always the possibility they may one day remarry.

These rumours gained more impetus after the death of Andrew's irascible father, Prince Philip, who in his later years refused to countenance even being in the same room as Sarah.

Philip refused to change his low opinion of the former Sarah Ferguson since her transgression in 1992 of being snapped having her toes sucked by her financial adviser John Bryan (the photographs appeared on the front page of a Sunday tabloid while the duchess was staying at Balmoral with the Queen, an experience which Sarah later described as an 'excruciatingly embarrassing moment.') She and Andrew separated that year and were divorced in 1996.

Asked directly on the ITV show Loose Women if a rekindling of romance was likely, Sarah brushed the subject aside. 'Oh, goodness me,' she responded to the show's presenters, 'you're all fairytale, you've all got your wands out. Andrew and I remain steadfast, in the past we've been co-parenting and now we're co-grandparenting.'

A former courtier who has known Andrew for three decades observes: 'Theirs is not a great passionate romance - they have separate bedrooms at Royal Lodge - but it's more about the deepest form of friendship. It's a very unusual relationship for a divorced couple, especially to the outside world, but they're utterly devoted and would defend each other to the death.'

In another recent interview, Sarah described her relationship with Andrew as an achievement of which she was proud. 'We're divorced to each other, not from each other. We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything. I'm proud of the job we have done together in bringing up our children and sustaining a strong family unit. Our bywords are communication, compromise and compassion.'

It is an unorthodox arrangement, of which the royal author Penny Junor observes: 'It seems utterly bizarre, and who knows what their relationship really is. Sarah has not just stood silently by his side, she actually speaks out in favour of him.'

In a more recent interview, Sarah said she is proud of her divorced relationship with Andrew. She said: 'We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything' 

Sarah has more recently added another motive for sharing a home with Andrew, in the form of a promise she made to his late mother, the Queen. Pictured: Sarah and the Queen in 1990 

The Duchess has defended the duke claiming he had been a victim of 'wrongful perception' in the furore over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and his subsequent legal battle with Virginia Giuffre (who claims that she was forced into having sex with him when she was 17 and had been trafficked by Epstein). Pictured: Andrew with Virginia

Indeed Andrew has come to rely heavily on Sarah's support. 'Apart from the three remaining staff members at Royal Lodge, she is often the only other person there who understands his predicament and to whom he can offload,' adds the former courtier.

'When Sarah is away, there are rarely visits from outsiders - the duke does not have a network of supportive friends - and often his only contact is with the lawyers who are handling proceedings in the States.'

Andrew now seems an isolated figure, often having difficulty even in finding a golf partner (the game remains his main abiding interest). 'He looks a sad and lonely man these days,' adds Penny Junor, 'We see him out riding but always on his own. It's the daughters I feel most sorry for, being caught up in all this. It must be really difficult for them.'

Apart from her self-avowed wish to 'always be there' to provide ongoing emotional support to her beleaguered prince, Sarah has more recently added another motive for sharing a home with Andrew, in the form of a promise she made to his late mother, the Queen.

Andrew has come to rely heavily on Sarah's support. 'Apart from the three remaining staff members at Royal Lodge, she is often the only other person there who understands his predicament and to whom he can offload', royal author Penny Juror said. Pictured: The Prince and Duchess in 1986 

Indeed such was the affinity between the duchess and her former mother-in-law that the Queen directed that on her demise her two favourite corgis, Sandy and Muick, were to be handed to the care of Andrew and Sarah. Pictured: Sarah with Muick and Sandy

Revealing a conversation she claims to have had with the sovereign shortly before the Queen's death Sarah said: 'Her poor son has been going through such a tumultuous time and I think HM was very relieved I could help her with him, so we became even closer, then.'

Indeed such was the affinity between the duchess and her former mother-in-law that the Queen directed that on her demise her two favourite corgis, Sandy and Muick, were to be handed to the care of Andrew and Sarah.

The dogs are now, Sarah pronounced on an American chat show 'national icons' and when they bark at nothing it is a sure sign that the Queen is 'passing by'. She feels sure that Her Majesty is comforted, from beyond the grave, that the magnolia trees in Windsor Great Park are now in bloom and that her dogs 'were walking where she walked before'.