The Royal Family has been marred with several controversies over the years. The family had been making headlines in top newspapers and tabloids. One of the scandals in the recent past is about Prince Andrew, the disgraced Duke of York. Virginia Giuffre leveled accusations against him for sexually assaulting her when she was young. Nevertheless, they settled the case outside the court. But, if we travel back in time, his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson also created ripples in 1992.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have known each other since childhood. Prince Philip and her father played Polo together. Princess Diana was the matchmaker between the two. After the engagement in 1986, the two married on July 23rd, 1986 at Westminster Abbey. However, their marriage was based on a shaky foundation. Andrew was recruited into the Navy Task Force during the Falklands War as a helicopter pilot. Due to this, there was a rift created between the couple as Andrew spent most of his time in the service. They separated in 1992 and the couple settled their divorce in 1996. During their separation, she got involved in a scandal with John Bryan, her ex-boyfriend which brought disgrace to the family.
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John Bryan Was Clicked Sucking Toes Of Sarah Ferguson
While Sarah Ferguson was separated from Prince Andrew, she started seeing a finance advisor, John Bryan. After meeting through mutual friends, he became Sarah’s financial advisor. While they were together, on one fateful day, they had to face the most noxious scandals that happened in the Royal Family. Sarah’s and John’s pictures were leaked and he was seen getting intimate with her and sucking her toes.
If we are to believe the testimony of the journalist, Richard Kay, on August 19th, 1992, he received a pager message from Princess Diana. It was before the infamous pictures were to hit the front pages of the newspapers. The message read, “The redhead’s in trouble.”
John asked if Richard could procure a copy of the Mirror. He took it to his room and as per his claim, Bryan received a call from Ferguson assuring her that everything will be okay.
When the pictures made the headlines and were on the front pages of leading newspapers, the family got infuriated at the breakfast table. There were reports of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip berserk over the whole situation. Queen Elizabeth II wanted Sarah to leave Balmoral and Philip rushed to Sarah and threw the newspaper at her and said, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
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How Did Sarah And John React To The Scandal?
It was a very difficult time for Sarah Ferguson and John Bryan. The media was maligning their image, dragging the Royal Family into the situation. Sarah and Bryan both tried to explain the situation where John said that he was just kissing her foot. Nevertheless, after the scandal unfolded, Ferguson told CNN about her first reaction to the humiliating pictures invading her privacy.
Sarah Ferguson said, “I remember looking at it and saying, ‘Oh no Sarah. And that’s when Carolyn, my best friend, said ‘Now you need help Sarah, this is crazy. What’s happening here?’ So, its an extraordinary tale and one that every day I work at to see how and why I did those things.”
During an interview, John Bryan also explained his side of the story. He claimed that the two along with her girls were playing “fun” and “make believe games”. He said, “We’re with the kids, having a great time. We used to play fun games, make-believe games.”
He continued, “On this day we were playing Cinderella and I said, “Look, let’s kiss Mummy’s toes”. It was part of the game. I did it first and then I think one of the girls, probably Beatrice, did it. It was totally innocent; a beautiful family moment of love.”
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