Inside Sarah Ferguson’s Post-Divorce Wish: A Unique Request to Queen Elizabeth

The following includes references to disordered eating.

In 1996, when Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finalized his divorce from Sarah Ferguson, Queen Elizabeth II braced herself for requests for a sizable financial settlement. Ferguson, who indeed had the right to seek financial compensation, opted for something much more modest. In a 2007 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Ferguson recalled, “When I met with Her Majesty, she asked, ‘What do you require, Sarah?’ and I replied, ‘Your friendship.'” Her response surprised Elizabeth, as those in her inner circle had anticipated a financial plea from Andrew’s ex-wife.

For Ferguson, preserving a positive and friendly relationship with Queen Elizabeth was invaluable. “I wanted to maintain Her Majesty as a friend,” she explained, emphasizing that she did not wish to engage in disputes or have her intentions misunderstood as greedy. Instead, Ferguson accepted that she needed to work and carved her path accordingly. However, the divorce settlement did provide her with a cash payout of $475,000—a relatively modest sum compared to the $22.5 million settlement Princess Diana received in her separation from Prince Charles in the same year.

Ultimately, Ferguson achieved her goal. She maintained a close relationship with the queen until Elizabeth’s passing in September 2022. Their bond was strengthened by shared passions, including a love for dogs and horses. “Even post-divorce, their friendship thrived, often seen walking the dogs around Frogmore and enjoying conversations,” a source shared with The Telegraph in 2022. After Elizabeth’s death, Ferguson, alongside Andrew, assumed the responsibility of caring for the queen’s treasured corgis, marking a significant testament to the trust Elizabeth placed in her former daughter-in-law.

The dissolution of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s marriage was among the many challenges Queen Elizabeth II faced in 1992. The couple’s separation occurred during a year rife with personal trials for the queen, including the split of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and Princess Anne’s divorce from Captain Mark Phillips. The year also witnessed a catastrophic fire at Windsor Castle, prompting Elizabeth to describe it as annus horribilis, meaning “horrible year” in Latin. During this tumultuous period, the relentless tabloids eagerly covered Ferguson’s notorious toe-sucking scandal among other royal misfortunes.

As difficult as all of it was, Elizabeth moved on stoically as ever, and she and Ferguson worked it out. Part of the reason the queen is said to have been able to put her differences with her former daughter-in-law aside is Ferguson’s unwavering loyalty to Andrew and the royal family as a whole. Despite divorcing in 1996, Ferguson continued to support her ex-husband, who has been plagued by scandals. Ferguson and Andrew’s post-divorce relationship is so strong that they even lived together at Royal Lodge from 2008 until their eviction in early 2026.

Elizabeth paid it forward by offering support to Ferguson amid her own controversies and personal struggles. The late queen’s last words to her former daughter-in-law reflected that dynamic. “‘Sarah, remember that yourself is good enough.’ It makes me cry,” Ferguson recalled Elizabeth telling her before her death in a 2024 interview with The Times. That is a message she had tried to impart to Ferguson since the days she struggled with disordered eating and faced public backlash over her weight as a newly postpartum mother. “I believed my critics. But the Queen never lost me,” she said.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA’s Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).