Editing Sarah, Duchess of York (section)

==Early life==
Sarah Margaret Ferguson was born on 15 October 1959 at [[London Welbeck Hospital]], [[London]]. She is the second daughter of [[Ronald Ferguson (polo)|Major Ronald Ferguson]] (1931–2003) and [[Susan Barrantes]] (née Wright; 1937–1998).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |author-link=Alison Weir |title=Britain's Royal Families: A Complete Genealogy |publisher=Pimlico |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-7126-7448-5 |edition=Revised |location=London |page=333}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=17 March 2003|title=Major Ronald Ferguson dies|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2857115.stm|access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref> She has one older full sister, Jane. After Ferguson's parents divorced in 1974, her mother married polo player [[Héctor Barrantes]] in 1975<ref>{{Cite news|date=12 August 1990|title=Hector Barrantes, Duchess of York's Stepfather, 51 – Obituary|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=Reuters|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEEDA103DF931A2575BC0A966958260|access-date=4 May 2010|url-access=limited}}</ref> and moved to [[Trenque Lauquen]] in the Argentine pampas. Sarah stayed at the {{convert|480|acre|km2|adj=on}} Dummer Down Farm at [[Dummer, Hampshire|Dummer]], Hampshire, her father's home since age 8.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Dennis Barker|date=18 March 2003|title=Obituary: Major Ronald Ferguson, UK news|work=The Guardian|location=UK|url=https://www.theguardian.com/monarchy/story/0,2763,916328,00.html#article_continue|access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref><ref name="WP-86">{{Cite news|last=DeYoung|first=Karen|date=22 July 1986|title=Fergie: Bedlam Over the Bride|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/07/22/fergie-bedlam-over-the-bride/e0ddc0f5-6a78-444b-be1b-19b4494acf64/|access-date=9 March 2018|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Major Ferguson married Susan Deptford in 1976 and had three more children: Andrew, Alice, and Elizabeth. Sarah later mentioned that at the age of 12, when her parents' marriage started to fall apart, she developed an eating disorder and "turned to [[overeating]] for comfort".<ref name="Guardian-Disorder">{{Cite web|last=Harris|first=Paul|date=26 October 2002|title=Fergie: How food became my only friend|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/oct/27/monarchy.paulharris|access-date=25 November 2020|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>

Ferguson, known informally as "Fergie", once described her family as "[[landed gentry|country gentry]] with a bit of [[old money]]". She is a descendant of King [[Charles II of England]] via three of his illegitimate children: [[Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond]]; [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth]];<ref name="Ppl-86">{{Cite magazine|last1=Smith|first1=Terry|last2=Sanderson Healy|first2=Laura|date=7 April 1986|title=Fantastic Fergie|url=http://people.com/archive/cover-story-fantastic-fergie-vol-25-no-14/|magazine=People|access-date=9 March 2018}}</ref> and [[Anne Lennard, Countess of Sussex]]. She has aristocratic ancestry, being the great-great-granddaughter of the [[William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch|6th Duke of Buccleuch]], a great-granddaughter of the [[Mervyn Wingfield, 8th Viscount Powerscourt|8th Viscount Powerscourt]], and a descendant of the [[James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn|1st Duke of Abercorn]] and the [[William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire|4th Duke of Devonshire]].<ref name="WP-86" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Regan|first=Mary|date=14 October 2006|title='Duchess of Cork' embraces Irish roots|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20015772.html|access-date=7 December 2020|work=[[Irish Examiner]]}}</ref> Ferguson is distantly related to Prince Andrew, as they are both descended from the Duke of Devonshire as well as King [[James VI and I]].<ref name="WP-86" />

Ferguson attended Daneshill School, [[Stratfield Turgis]]. The staff of the school described her as a "courageous, bubbly and outgoing little girl".<ref name="WP-86" /> She then attended [[Hurst Lodge School]] in Ascot.<ref>David Banks, ''Sarah Ferguson, the royal redhead'' (Dillon Press, 1987), p. 14: "From Daneshill School, she went to a private girls' boarding school called Hurst Lodge."</ref> She did not shine academically but showed talent in swimming and tennis.<ref name="WP-86" /> At a young age, she developed an interest in [[skiing]] and later briefly worked as a chalet girl.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barcelona|first=Ainhoa|date=11 February 2016|title=Sarah, Duchess of York applies to become permanent resident of Switzerland|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2016021129758/sarah-ferguson-applies-residency-switzerland/|access-date=6 December 2020|magazine=Hello!}}</ref> In her teenage years, she worked both as a cleaner and waitress.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.womanandhome.com/us/life/royal-news/sarah-ferguson-job-prince-andrew-300634/|title=Sarah Ferguson reveals the surprising job she had before marrying Prince Andrew|work=Woman & Home|first=Amy|last=Hunt|date=31 August 2018|accessdate=24 April 2022}}</ref> After finishing a course at Queen's Secretarial College at the age of 18,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Latest news and profile of Sarah Ferguson|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/sarahferguson/|access-date=4 May 2010|work=Hello!|date=8 October 2009 }}</ref> Ferguson went to work for an art gallery.<ref name="WP-86" /> Later she worked in two public relations firms in London, and then for a publishing company.<ref name="WP-86" /> Prior to marriage, she dated Kim Smith-Bingham, a stockbroker, and [[Paddy McNally]], a motor racing manager more than 20 years her senior.<ref name="WP-86" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Cochrane|first=Kira|date=24 May 2010|title=Why I feel sorry for Sarah Ferguson|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/may/24/feel-sorry-for-sarah-ferguson|access-date=2 March 2018|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>