The late Queen kept a very close relationship with her former daughter-in-law, The Duchess of York, despite her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996.
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew still live together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, and she has even dubbed them "the happiest divorced couple in the world". Due to the closeness of their bond, it ensured that Fergie and the Queen never fell out of touch and allowed them to frequently spend time together due to their similar interests.
Her close bond with the Queen was shown after Sarah and Andrews divorce was finalised, as Her Majesty bought a £1.5million home in Surrey for Sarah to live in with her two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. This was a clear sign of support from her former mother in law, Sarah was unfortunately never able to use the home and was forced to sell it, writes the Mirror.
It is well-known that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were very close with The Queen, spending a lot of time with her when they were growing up nearby on the Windsor Estate in both Sunninghill Park and Royal Lodge.
After The Duke and Duchess of York's divorced was finalised in 1996, Her Majesty bought her two granddaughters, who were then aged seven and nine, a lavish seven-bedroom Surrey mansion known as Birch Hall for them to live in with their mother and to use when they were older.
Despite the supportive gesture from The Queen, Sarah reportedly refused to move into the home as she would be unable to keep up with the huge maintenance costs, meaning that the home stayed empty for two years until it was sold for £1.5 million in 1999.
Sarah maintained a lifelong bond with the late monarch and frequently spoke out to praise her for her maintained support and dedication despite her separation from Prince Andrew.
Following the announcement of The Queen's death, Sarah took to social media to share a tribute to her late mother-in-law.
She wrote on Twitter: "I am heartbroken by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the most fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness, and a constant steadying presence as our head of state for more than 70 years.
"She has given her whole life selflessly to the people of the UK & the Commonwealth. To me, she was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend.
"I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce. I will miss her more than words can express."
Despite their separation in 1992 and subsequent divorce four years later, Prince Andrew and Sarah have maintained a close relationship. Their set-up may appear strange to some people, but they have been dubbed as “the happiest divorced couple in the world”. Their raised their children together, enjoying family holidays and days out.
The fact that they are still on such good terms is something many royal experts have commented on over the years. Ingrid Seward, the Editor of Majesty Magazine, previously said that Beatrice and Eugenie "love that their parents get on so well.”
In a rare interview with The Telegraph, Sarah spoke about their closeness and didn’t make any effort to quash rumours that the pair may remarry one day. She told the paper: “All I can say is that we’re happy with the way we are right now.
"We always say we are the most contented divorced couple in the world. We’re divorced to each other, not from each other. We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything.
"I’m proud of the job we have done together in bringing up our children and sustaining a strong family unit. Our bywords are communication, compromise and compassion.”
In a previous interview with the Daily Mail from 2018, she gave details on her uniquely close relationship with her former husband. She said: "July 23, 1986, was the happiest day of my life. Andrew is the best man I know. What he does for Britain is incredible; no one knows how hard he works for his country. My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will.
“The way we are is our fairy tale. Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other. The Yorks are a united family. We've shown it. You saw it at the wedding [Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding]."
"We stand up for each other, fight for each other. We're totally respectful of each other's position and thoughts and we listen to each other. Our children listen to us, too. And we sit around the table and have afternoon tea together. It's a very important part of our lives."
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