EXCLUSIVE: Fergie V Queen Elizabeth! Radar Reveals How Disgraced Ex-Duchess of York Went to War With Monarch Over Her Affair Scandal
Sarah Ferguson once found herself locked in a deeply personal clash with Queen Elizabeth II after a damaging affair scandal erupted into public view.
Jan. 15 2026, Published 4:41 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal Sarah Ferguson once found herself locked in a deeply personal clash with Queen Elizabeth II after a damaging affair scandal erupted into public view, exposing fault lines between the monarchy's demand for obedience and the former Duchess of York's refusal to retreat quietly.
Ferguson, 66, who married Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, now 65, in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey in July 1986 watched by an estimated 500 million people worldwide, was plunged into crisis in January 1992.
The Wyatt Photographs and a Defiance of Authority
Sarah Ferguson clashed privately with Queen Elizabeth II after her affair scandal went public.
It marked the year when a now-infamous cache of 120 photographs surfaced showing Sarah Ferguson on vacation with Texan oil tycoon Steve Wyatt.
According to royal author Nigel Cawthorne, Queen Elizabeth II "ordered" Sarah to cut all contact with Wyatt to contain the fallout.
However, reports suggested Sarah visited Steve's apartment on two further occasions — a move seen as a direct act of defiance.
One palace insider noted: "This was not treated as a private lapse in judgment, but as a breakdown of trust... it was interpreted as Sarah openly disregarding the Queen's authority."
The Collapse of a Royal Marriage
Ferguson allegedly had the affair with Wyatt while she was pregnant with Princess Eugenie.
The pictures intensified scrutiny, particularly one showing a young Princess Beatrice on Steve's knee.
While not improper, it raised concerns about boundaries, and within weeks, the Duke and Duchess of York announced their separation on March 19, 1992.
Author David Leigh cited Steve as the "main reason" for the breakdown, noting Sarah was "head over heels" for the businessman at a time when she felt emotionally unsupported by Andrew.
This chemistry had reportedly begun as early as 1989, while Sarah was pregnant with Princess Eugenie.
Mutual Infidelity and the Toe-Sucking Scandal
Prince Philip reportedly banned Ferguson after the John Bryan pictures surface.
Andrew was not immune from scrutiny; allegations suggest he slept with "more than a dozen women" during the first year of the marriage.
Following the split from Steve, scandal continued to stalk Sarah.
Later in 1992, photographs of her with financial adviser John Bryan in St. Tropez — showing him sucking her toes— detonated another crisis.
The shock was so great that Prince Philip reportedly banned Ferguson from royal residences, and the mutual breakdown of trust between the Yorks became a permanent public fixture.
Irreparable Damage and the Final Eviction
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Sarah and Andrew remained living together after their divorce in 1996.
Sources said the early clash with Queen Elizabeth marked the moment Ferguson's standing was irreparably damaged.
Though the pair lived together at Royal Lodge for years after their 1996 divorce, King Charles recently ordered them to vacate the property.
The link to Jeffrey Epstein eventually led to both being stripped of their royal titles.
As one source reflected: "From the moment she chose to disregard a clear and direct instruction from the sovereign... the relationship with the Palace was never able to return to what it had been before."
