Editing Prince Andrew, Duke of York (section)

===Relationships===
Andrew met the American photographer and actress [[Koo Stark]] in February 1981, before his active service in the [[Falklands War]].<ref name=rebuttal/><ref>{{cite book|first=Alastair|last=Burnet|author-link=Alastair Burnet|title=The ITN Book of the Royal Wedding|publisher=[[Michael O'Mara Books]]|location=London, England|date=1986|page=38|quote=The actress Miss Koo Stark was a regular girlfriend of Prince Andrew for several years.}}</ref> In October 1982, they took a holiday together on the island of [[Mustique]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Kim|last=McNamara|title=Paparazzi: Media Practices and Celebrity Culture|publisher=[[Polity (publisher)|Polity]]|location=Cambridge, England|date=2015|isbn=978-0745651743|page=29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Lady Colin|last=Campbell|author-link=Lady Colin Campbell|title=The Real Diana|publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]]|location=Mount Pleasant, South Carolina|date=1998|asin=B01K562L9Q|page=161}}</ref> [[Tina Brown]] said that Stark was Andrew's only serious love interest.<ref name=brown>{{cite book|first=Tina|last=Brown|author-link=Tina Brown|title=The Diana Chronicles|publisher=[[Broadway Books]]|location=New York City|date=2007|isbn=978-0-7679-2309-5|page=228|title-link=The Diana Chronicles}}</ref> In 1983, they split up under pressure from press, paparazzi, and palace.<ref name=rebuttal/><ref name=brown/> In 1997, Andrew became godfather to Stark's daughter.<ref>''[[Newsweek]]'', Volume 128 (1997), p. 76</ref> When Andrew was facing accusations in 2015 over his connection to [[Jeffrey Epstein]], Stark came to his defence.<ref name=rebuttal>{{cite web|first=Matilda|last=Battersby|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/koo-stark-speaks-out-to-help-rebut-prince-andrew-sex-slave-claims-10046948.html|title=Prince Andrew's ex Koo Stark speaks about their relationship for first time in 30 years|date=15 February 2015|work=[[The Independent]]|location=London, England|access-date=21 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121050247/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/koo-stark-speaks-out-to-help-rebut-prince-andrew-sex-slave-claims-10046948.html|archive-date=21 January 2017}}</ref>

In 1999, he was briefly in a relationship with [[Lady Victoria Hervey]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/lady-victoria-hervey-prince-andrew-who-b2006663.html|title=Lady Victoria Hervey: Prince Andrew's former girlfriend in profile|work=The Independent|first=Laurie|last=Churchman|date=15 February 2022|access-date=1 May 2025}}</ref>

====Marriage to Sarah Ferguson====
{{further|Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson}}

Andrew married [[Sarah Ferguson]] at [[Westminster Abbey]] on 23 July 1986. On the same day, Queen Elizabeth II created him [[Duke of York]], [[Earl of Inverness]], and [[Baron Killyleagh]];<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=50606 |date=23 July 1986 |page=1 |supp=y}}</ref> the first two of these titles were previously held by both his maternal [[George VI|grandfather]] and [[George V|great-grandfather]]. Prince Andrew had known Ferguson since childhood; they had met occasionally at [[polo]] matches, and became reacquainted with each other at [[Royal Ascot]] in 1985.<ref name="WP-86">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/07/22/fergie-bedlam-over-the-bride/e0ddc0f5-6a78-444b-be1b-19b4494acf64/|title=Fergie: Bedlam Over the Bride|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Karen|last=DeYoung|date=22 July 1986|access-date=9 March 2018|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The couple appeared to have a happy marriage and had two daughters together, [[Princess Beatrice|Beatrice]] and [[Princess Eugenie|Eugenie]], presenting a united outward appearance during the late 1980s. Sarah's personal qualities were seen as refreshing in the context of the formal protocol surrounding the royal family.<ref name="WP-86"/> However, Andrew's frequent travel due to his military career, as well as relentless, often critical, media attention focused on the Duchess of York, led to fractures in the marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/sarah-ferguson-reveals-road-recovery-documentary-oprah-winfrey/story?id=13780411|title=Sarah Ferguson Reveals Her Road to Recovery in Documentary on OWN, Oprah Winfrey Network|publisher=ABC News|first=Katie|last=Kindelan|date=11 May 2011|access-date=6 December 2020|quote=She moved with her prince into Buckingham Palace but two weeks into their marriage, Andrew was sent to sea and she only saw him for 40 days a year for the first five years.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/oct/27/monarchy.paulharris|title=Fergie: How food became my only friend|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Paul|last=Harris|date=26 October 2002|access-date=25 November 2020|quote=The ex-wife of Prince Andrew described how she struggled against obesity for most of her life and was devastated when tabloids dubbed her 'Duchess of Pork' and 'Fat Fergie'.}}</ref> On 19 March 1992, the couple announced plans to separate and did so in an amicable way.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/19/newsid_2543000/2543667.stm|title=1992: Fergie and Andrew split|publisher=BBC|access-date=15 March 2018|date=19 March 1992}}</ref> In August of that same year, [[Tabloid journalism|tabloid]] media outlets published pictures of John Bryan sucking on Sarah's toes, which effectively ended any hopes of a reconciliation between Andrew and Ferguson. The Duchess had claimed throughout the separation that Bryan was her financial adviser, a claim that Prince Andrew believed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elser |first1=Daniela |title=The toe-sucking photo that ruined the Duchess of York |url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/the-toesucking-photo-that-ruined-the-duchess-of-york/news-story/abd664af0ab8944a6e9cd4bdc1b57446 |website=news.com.au |access-date=19 June 2023 |date=29 July 2019}}</ref>

The marriage ended in divorce on 30 May 1996. The Duke of York spoke fondly of his former wife in 2008: "We have managed to work together to bring our children up in a way that few others have been able to and I am extremely grateful to be able to do that."<ref>{{Cite news| last=Castle| first=Stephen| title=From Prince Andrew, critical words for U.S. on Iraq| newspaper=The New York Times| date=4 February 2008| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/world/americas/04iht-andrew.4.9735778.html | url-access=limited}}</ref>

[[File:The Duke of York.JPG|thumb|The Duke of York and Princess Eugenie riding in the carriage procession at [[Trooping the Colour]], 16 June 2012]]
In May 2010, Sarah was filmed by a ''[[News of the World]]'' reporter saying Andrew had agreed that if she were to receive £500,000, he would meet the donor and pass on useful top-level business contacts. She was filmed receiving, in cash, $40,000 as a down payment. The paper said that Andrew did not know of the arrangement.<ref>{{cite news|title=Duchess of York 'wanted cash for Prince Andrew access'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8699139.stm|work=BBC News |access-date=7 July 2011|date=23 May 2010|quote=The paper says the prince - a UK trade envoy - knew nothing about the deal}}</ref> In July 2011, Sarah stated that her multi-million pound debts had been cleared due to the intervention of her former husband, whom she compared to a "knight on a white charger".<ref name=Teleg>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/8658857/Duchess-of-York-clears-debts-thanks-to-knight-on-white-charger-Andrew.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/8658857/Duchess-of-York-clears-debts-thanks-to-knight-on-white-charger-Andrew.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Duchess of York clears debts thanks to 'knight on white charger' Andrew|author=Collins, Nick|date=25 July 2011|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|access-date=15 December 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2012, Sarah admitted that she had made a "gigantic error of judgement" in allowing [[Jeffrey Epstein]] to pay off a debt for her, and apologised for accepting money from him. She did, however, continue to defend Andrew's controversial former friendship with Epstein.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2012 |title=Duchess of York apologises for 'gigantic error of judgement' over debt |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/duchess-of-york-apologises-for-gigantic-error-of-judgement-over-debt-6574623.html |access-date=19 February 2023 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=16 February 2022 |title=Prince Andrew: Where does he get his money from? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60401663 |access-date=19 February 2023}}</ref>