The Royal Family: Affairs & Infidelities lifts the lid on the roller coaster relationship between Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
SARAH Ferguson’s infamous ‘toe-sucking’ incident which broke apart her marriage to Prince Andrew has been dragged up in a new Channel 5 documentary.
As rumours swirl the Duchess of York is trying to rekindle her romance with her former husband, Channel 5’s , aired the racy snaps which fuelled her divorce.
Photos of a topless Fergie with her toes in the mouth of John Bryan, described as her ‘financial advisor’, was one of the most shocking scandals to rock the Royal family.
Royal expert Katie Nicholls says it was the “nail in the coffin” for her marriage when snaps of her and the American hit the front page in 1992.
Fergie, now 59, had separated with Prince Andrew the previous year, but the pair were still officially married.
The incident saw her cast out of The Firm, and the York’s officially divorced in 1996.
Speaking in the documentary, Katie said: “That really was the nail in the coffin, not just for the York’s marriage but for Sarah’s relationship with the senior royals.”
Sarah married Prince Andrew in 1986, and had Princess Beatrice in 1988, and then Princess Eugenie in 1990.
But by the following year their marriage was in trouble, partly due to Prince Andrew, now 59, frequently being away at sea.
The documentary, which aired tonight, lifted the lid on Sarah’s male friends, including a Texan millionaire Steve Wyatt, who Katie said had a reputation as a “playboy”, and later fellow American John Bryan.
Sarah was with the Queen at Balmoral when the photos, taken in the South of France, were published, and she wrote in her autobiography: “It would be accurate to report that the porridge was getting cold.
"Eyes wide and mouths ajar, the adults were flipping through the Daily Mirror."
Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty Magazine, said: “The Queen was furious, absolutely furious. I think partly because she loved Fergie so much.
“She just couldn’t believe Fergie could have been so stupid to allow this to happen.”
Fergie was ousted from The Firm, and her frosty relationship with the royals in the years that followed saw her left off the guest list for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011.
And despite being invited to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, she didn't make the cut for the reception at Frogmore House, hosted by her former father-in-law, Prince Charles.
But she appears to have been welcomed back into the royal fold following the marriage of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank last October.
And there has been speculation the mum-of-two and Prince Andrew may be trying to give their marriage another go, after the pair travelled abroad together for the first time in 25 years.
There have been claims their relationship is ‘back on’ after The Duke and Duchess of York travelled to Bahrain earlier this week, along with their daughter Princess Beatrice.
Despite a spokesman for Sarah denying the claims, the Channel 5 documentary hinted Fergie could be playing a bigger role in royal life in the future.
Anna Pasternak, author, added: “They are the best co-parents and they’re desperately fond of each other.
“I think we’ll see a lot more of Sarah within the inner sanctum of the royal family.
“And I happen to know that the Queen is a huge fan of Sarah’s and has an enormous affection for her.”
And Richard Kay, editor-at-large for the Daily Mail, pointed out neither pair has remarried in the 20 plus years since their divorce.
He said: “They declared that they were best friends, and years later they’re still sort of together in many ways.
"They’re still under the same roof.
“Andrew hasn’t remarried nor has Sarah. But it seems to suit them better.”
Rumours have swirled that Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew are back together after the pair were spotted in Bahrain together, but the palace denies it.
Fergie also paid tribute to her dear friend Princess Diana in a moving International Women’s Day post.
And Meghan Markle is said to be following in Sarah Ferguson’s footsteps and give birth away from the spotlight.
