Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew are one of the most recognisable royal couples in the world.
They famously split after a few years of marriage, which Sarah blamed on Andrew’s absence at sea while in the navy.
What can their body language from their wedding to know tell us about this interesting royal couple?
Back in 1986 Sarah and Andrew appeared in a TV interview to announce their engagement.
A relatively new thing at the time, the couple did were emulating Charles and Diana a few years before.
Body language expert told Express.co.uk that the Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew displayed “sexy” engagement body language. In fact, the couple appeared very different front Charles and Diana did for their interview.
Judi said: “In the context of the time it was filmed, with Diana looking increasingly frail and unhappy in her marriage, Andrew and Sarah’s engagement interview looked sexy and relaxed and informal. Looking at it again, though, it’s fascinating to see how many of those things were perceptual.”
Sarah seemed to be keen to take a dominant role in the romance. Judi said: “It’s a ritual of subtle play-fighting from her that can be quite common in a couple falling in love and testing one another both sexually and in terms of power and status but with Sarah it looked quite one-sided as though she was keen to stamp out quite a dominant role in the relationship.”
This takes an affect on Andrew too. “s she becomes more dominant during the interview, both emotionally and physically, he goes from an alpha male splay to a very high and self-protective arm-fold barrier and then later a complete crotch-cover, sitting in the ‘fig leaf’ pose with his hands cupping his crotch in a way that normally suggests anxiety and a need for quite intrinsic self-protection,” Judi explained.
“Sarah might have been desperately trying to bring Andrew’s fun side out here but there were warning signs already that he intended to protect his dignity at all costs.”
Sadly, 10 years after this interview Sarah and Andrew divorced in 1996 after years of separation.
However, the pair still get along famously, and in fact, they still live together in the Royal Lodge.
There are rumours swirling that couple are unofficially back together, did the body language at their latest outing show that?
The exes attended Royal Ascot 2019. Judi told Express.co.uk: “From the yellow rose in his lapel matching the colour of her dress to the rather relaxed body language displays together that still look heavily suppressed as though avoiding any obvious give-always, Prince Andrew and Sarah look far more like ‘currents’ than ‘exes’ here.”
Judi added: “Sarah does adopt the demure pose of hands clasped in front across her torso but when she does lift one hand away it seems to gravitate towards Andrew in what looks like a truncated touch.
“They seem to avoid actual eye contact here but proximity doesn’t seem to be a problem and Sarah’s raised chin, warm smile and splayed feet as she poses beside Andrew suggests confidence rather than awkwardness.
“Sarah’s smile looks proud here and the sometimes sour-looking Prince appears to be having fun in her company.”
Sarah Ferguson: Five facts about the Duchess of York
Childhood
Sarah is the second daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson and Susan Mary Wright.
Her parents divorced in 1974, with her mother going on to marry polo player Héctor Barrantes in 1975 and moving to Argentina. Sarah stayed in the UK with her father, who remarried in 1976 and went on to have three more children.
Wedding
Sarah married Prince Andrew on 23 July 1986 at Westminster Abbey in London.
She wore an ivory-silk wedding gown designed by Lindka Cierarch which had a 17 foot train and 20 foot veil. As is tradition, Sarah wore a diamond tiara, and her wedding band was crafted from Welsh gold.
The couple spent their honeymoon abroad the real yacht Britannia off the coast of the Azores Islands.
Divorce
Sarah and Andrew divorced in 1996 after separating in 1992.
However the couple remain on good terms, even living together in the Royal Lodge from 2008 until Sarah moved to a ski chalet in Switzerland they bought together in 2015.
Career
Sarah has written children’s books for many years, her first being a series about Budgie The Helicopter in the early 90s.
She has also been the US spokeswoman for WeightWatchers after famously battling her weight over the years.
On top of commercial endeavours, the Duchess devotes plenty of time to charity, including Children in Crisis, which she founded in 1993.
Social media
Fergie, as she is known to friends, uses both Twitter and Instagram.
She has over 200,000 followers across the platforms, and shares many insights in to her life.
Most of the Royal Family are not on social media, but are represented by Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, or Clarence House.
Sarah’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, are the exception, with both joining their mother on social media.