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Andrew proposed to Sarah on 19 February 1986, his twenty-sixth birthday.[5] 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 Burmaruby surrounded by ten drop-diamonds. The mounting was eighteen-carat white and yellow gold.[6] 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.[7]
Wedding ceremony
Sarah Ferguson in the Glass coach before the weddingCombined coat of arms of Andrew and Sarah, the Duke and Duchess of York
Four months after announcing their engagement, Andrew and Sarah married on 23 July 1986, at Westminster Abbey in London. The Lord Chamberlain's office was responsible for organising the ceremony and guest list, while the royal household was left in charge of the reception.[8] Sarah made her way with her father Ronald from Clarence House in the Glass Coach, arriving at the church at 11:30.[2] The Archbishop of CanterburyRobert Runcie conducted at the 45-minute wedding ceremony.[1] As the couple exchanged vows, Sarah mistakenly repeated Andrew's middle name, Christian;[9] five years earlier, Diana, Princess of Wales, made a similar mistake by reversing the order of Prince Charles's names.[10] Unlike the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, Sarah chose to say the word "obey" in her vow "to love, cherish and to obey."[1] In keeping with tradition, the wedding ring was crafted from Welsh gold. The tradition of using Welsh gold within the wedding rings of the royal family dates back to 1923.[11]
Both Andrew's brothers participated in the wedding ceremony; Prince Edward was his best man, and Prince Charles read a lesson during the service.[1] The bridesmaids and page boys included Princess Anne's children Peter and Zara Phillips, and Prince Charles's eldest son Prince William.[11] Members of foreign royal families, as well as the U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan were among the guests.[9] The ceremony featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Household Cavalry.[11]
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 for 120 guests at Buckingham Palace,[11] the married couple and some 300 guests moved to a party at Claridge's hotel.[9]
The 5½-foot-tall "marzipan and rum-soaked" wedding cake was supplied by the navy supply school HMS Raleigh.[12] They made two identical cakes in case one was damaged.[13] 100 cakes were offered at a competition held by the palace, and subsequently they were all donated to hospices.[8] 30,000 flowers were used to decorate the abbey, all of which were eventually also donated to hospices.[8][11] Albert Mackenzie Watson was chosen by Prince Andrew to take the wedding portraits.[14]
Clothing
Prince Andrew was dressed in a ceremonial attire of a naval lieutenant, while Sarah wore an ivory-silk wedding dress designed by Lindka Cierach,[9] which had a 17-foot train,[1] and 20-foot-long veil.[11] Sarah, in her own words, "lost 26 pounds to fit into" the dress.[5] Her S-shaped bouquet featured "gardenias, cream lilies, yellow roses, lilies of the valley and a sprig of myrtle."[11][15] Sarah wore a coronet of gardenias for the occasion which was placed atop a diamond tiara that was given to her by the Queen as part of a Garrard demi-parure set.[16][17]
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.[11] The couple boarded a royal jet, emblazoned with "Just Married" on the rear door, for the Azores Islands, and then spent their 5-day honeymoon aboard the royal yacht Britannia in the Atlantic.[21][22]
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 worldwide. 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.[23] The wedding ceremony was positively received by the public.[1][24] The media frenzy caused by the wedding was called "Fergie Fever" by The New York Times.[14] A number of ceremonies and parties were held at different places by the public to celebrate the occasion across the United Kingdom.[1] The wedding was widely broadcast on television and radio in many countries, and news channels covered the ceremony in different languages.[1]
It was reported that Andrew's obligations as a naval helicopter pilot meant that they only saw each other 40 days a year. Sarah received criticism from the media about her weight, contributing to her stress and the couple's estrangement.[26] Andrew and Sarah announced their separation on 19 March 1992,[27] and divorced on 30 May 1996.[28]
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.[29]
