As the duo look forward to the wedding of the younger daughter Princess Eugenie, 28, in October, thoughts have turned to the lavish nuptials they enjoyed in 1986.
Some of the most famous memories of the day include a young Prince William acting as page boy, and Fergie messing up Andrew’s full name as she said her vows.
But there is one moment which seems to have gone unnoticed – until now.
In unearthed footage which has surfaced on YouTube, Sarah appears to do something members of the Royal Family are rarely, if ever, seen doing – winking.
As she promised to “obey” her groom during her vows, the bride turned her face towards him and appeared to wink.
It is a brief moment of fun which is over in less than a second, and is difficult to see thanks to the thick veil Sarah is wearing, however it was reported in some news outlets at the time.
The Los Angeles Times wrote in 1986: “Some spectators said they saw her wink at Andrew beneath her veil as she vowed to ‘obey’ her husband.”
Her wink is further backed up by a moment caught more clearly on camera later as the newlyweds walked out of church.
The ecstatic bride can be seen winking at someone sitting on the left hand side of the church, which would have seated her friends and family.
Back in the 80s, the British Royal Family were not known for public displays of emotion, so Fergie’s unbridled joy was unusual.
One element of her wedding which has endured in the public memory is her wedding gown, which was a large, classic 80s design.
The ivory number had huge shoulders and sleeves typical of the era and a wide skirt.
A corset tightly nipped in Sarah’s dress, which she revealed in her autobiography she lost six pounds to fit into.
On the day she married Prince Andrew in 1986 Sarah made sure to include some subtle symbols of their love on her dress.
Sarah’s dress was designed by Lindka Cierach, who has also dressed Helen Mirren, Lady Victoria Hervey and Cherie Blair.
The satin dress has lots of detail created by embroidery and beading. This detail depicted symbols that indicted the coming together of Sarah and Andrew.
Bumblebees and thistles were featured on the gown as a nod to Sarah’s family crest. Anchors and waves were added as a nod to Andrew’s work in the navy.
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.
