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Prince Andrew is a 'fantastic grandfather' says Sarah Ferguson

The couple have remained close since their divorce in 1996

sarah prince andrew
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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Sarah, Duchess of York has called her former husband, the Duke of York, a "fantastic grandfather".

The royal grandmother, 62, spoke about her relationship with Prince Andrew, as she appeared on Italian talk show Porta a Porta on Tuesday.

The Duke stepped back from public duties in November 2019, following his TV interview with BBC Newsnight, which focused on his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

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Sarah told the talk show: "I completely stand by Andrew 100 per cent. He is such a kind, great man, he is a brilliant father and now a fantastic grandfather... 

"I feel very strongly that in this day and age that we must stand by our hearts, what we think is right with integrity and honour and loyalty."

Sarah married Prince Andrew at Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986. They share two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, born in 1988 and 1990 respectively. The couple separated in 1992, finalising their divorce four years later, but they have remained close and continue to live together at Royal Lodge on the Queen's Windsor estate.

The Yorks welcomed the arrival of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's son, August, in February, and Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's daughter, Sienna, in September. Edoardo also has a five-year-old son Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, from a previous relationship.

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sarah ferguson porta a porta© Photo: Rex

The Duchess promoted her latest book Her Heart For A Compass

In August, Virginia Giuffre began legal action against the Duke of York for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. She is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions of dollars.

Ms Giuffre claims she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with Andrew when she was aged 17 and a minor under US law. The Duke has denied all the allegations.

In legal papers this week, Andrew's lawyer has argued for the civil sexual claim against the royal to be thrown out.

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