Sarah Ferguson's Real Name: Sarah Margaret Ferguson

Quick answer: Sarah Ferguson was born Sarah Margaret Ferguson on October 15, 1959, in London. She is widely known by the nickname "Fergie." She became Duchess of York on her 1986 marriage to Prince Andrew and kept the style "Sarah, Duchess of York" after their 1996 divorce. In October 2025 she reverted to her maiden name, Sarah Ferguson (Britannica; BBC News).

Real name and early life

Encyclopedia.com's Women in World History entry reads "Born Sarah Margaret Ferguson, Oct 15, 1959, in London, England." Biography.com gives the same full name and date. The Library of Congress files her books under "Ferguson, Sarah, 1959-," with variants including "Fergie," "Sarah, Duchess of York," and "Mountbatten-Windsor, Sarah."

According to Britannica, she was the second daughter of Ronald Ferguson, a military veteran who for some years managed polo for Prince Charles (later King Charles III), and his wife Susan. Her parents divorced when she was an adolescent, and her mother later married Argentine polo player Hector Barrantes. After boarding school, where she excelled at sports, she attended secretarial college and worked in public relations, at an art gallery, and at a graphic design firm.

Career highlights

Britannica recounts that Ferguson met Prince Andrew, a Royal Navy officer, through a 1985 Royal Ascot invitation from her friend Diana, Princess of Wales. The two married at Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986, and were given the titles Duke and Duchess of York. Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were born in 1988 and 1990. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.

Even before the divorce she had begun publishing books, starting with a 1989 children's story about a little helicopter named Budgie that grew into a series. Britannica lists young-adult novels including The Royal Switch (1996) and the historical novels Her Heart for a Compass (2021) and A Most Intriguing Lady (2023). She was a spokesperson for Weight Watchers, worked as a correspondent for NBC's Today, and founded the charity Children in Crisis in 1993. In 2023 she publicly shared her breast cancer diagnosis and recovery.

Title change in 2025

On October 17, 2025, Prince Andrew announced, after discussion with the King, that he would no longer use his titles, including Duke of York. The BBC reported that his former wife "will be known as Sarah Ferguson and no longer Duchess of York," while their daughters remain princesses.

Name notes for searchers

Ferguson is her maiden name. Fergie is a nickname, not a legal name. From 1996 to 2025 she was styled Sarah, Duchess of York, and older books and catalogs use that form. She is not the singer Fergie, Stacy Ferguson, of the Black Eyed Peas.