This Tragic Family Story Reinforced Sarah Ferguson's Bond With Prince Andrew And The Princesses

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are a bit of a puzzle to most royal family fans. The couple divorced back in May of 1996, but they’re still living under the same roof, which basically means that they’re all living together like a normal family would.

Unlike other divorced couples, Prince Andrew and Fergie managed to remain friends. In fact, they have been seen in a number of public appearances together. For instance, they were both at this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, together with Princess Beatrice and her new boyfriend, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

According to Fergie, there is a tragic royal family story that struck a chord in her and made her vow to keep her family together despite being divorced from Prince Andrew. It was the story of Princess Louise, who was Prince Albert’s mother and Queen Elizabeth II’s great-great-great-grandmother.

Sarah revealed that Louise suffered a fate that’s hard to imagine. “She was discarded by her husband — Ernst I, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld — and sent to St Wendel,” the duchess shared. “Whatever she had done to upset Ernst — who it seems was tired and bored of her and wanted to divorce — to have to leave her two boys and never see them again was, for me, beyond words.”

Sarah, who was in Germany for a documentary retracing Louise’s life, said that she can’t imagine being forbidden from seeing her two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. “I just don't know what it would be like for me to not be with my girls,” she said. “I really couldn't fathom it.”

But Louise’s fate is unlikely to happen to Fergie as she and her former husband both love the girls. “We work in unity and [ex-husband Prince] Andrew and I are focused on being good parents together,” the duchess explained why they still remained good friends despite what happened in the past. “We are bigger than friends. We learn from each other, support each other and understand it's about communication, compromise and compassion.”

And, despite their divorce, some things will never change. “He’s still my handsome prince; he’ll always be my handsome prince,” Sarah said in 2013, referring to her ex-husband Prince Andrew.