How a fairytale royal marriage, first announced on this day in 1992, came to a crushing end exactly six years on. The break-up was followed by a wave of scandals that never seemed to end...

The world was captivated by the 1986 royal wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.

But what was once described as a fairytale romance between fiery redhead Sarah and the man of her dreams would ultimately end in heartbreak.

The pair first met when Princess Diana invited Sarah to a dinner at Windsor Castle and seated her next to the prince.

A whirlwind romance followed and the two  married in at Westminster Abbey on July 23.

Prince Andrew and fiancee Sarah Ferguson in the grounds of Buckingham Palace after announcing their engagement in March 1986

Sarah and Prince Andrew on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day in July 1986

At the time, Sarah had only one request: that they could always be together. 

But Andrew, a serving naval officer, was sent back out to sea only two weeks after their wedding.

It is thought that cracks began to show early on in their relationship.

Fergie revealed that they only saw each other 40 days out of the year during the first five years of their marriage.

'I spent my entire first pregnancy alone,' Sarah later told Harper's Bazaar of Andrew's absence. 'When Beatrice was born, Andrew got 10 days of shore leave.'

In early 1992, the couple legally separated. However, they continued to present a united front with their daughters, pictured together at the Royal Windsor Horse Show a few days afterwards.

In August that year, the situation grew more complicated. Sarah was photographed on vacation in St Tropez with her financial adviser John Bryan.

As the pair holidayed together, intimate photos were taken of the American businessman appearing to kiss the toes of the the topless Duchess.

When the news broke, Fergie was on summer holiday at Balmoral Castle with the Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Andrew.

It was said that Queen Elizabeth was mortified and that Fergie's relationship with father-in-law Prince Philip was forever ruined. 

The Daily Mail later wrote that Philip did not want to even be in the same room as Sarah again, insisting she had 'brought shame' upon the whjole family.

Their divorce was officially finalised four years later on 30 May 1996, but by that point, the Duchess was already estranged from the royal family after her scandal.

Andrew and Fergie with their two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show after their separation in 1992

A few months after Andrew and Sarah parted, Sarah was photographed in St Tropez with her financial adviser John Bryan

After the separation, she told Harper's Bazaar:

 'I wanted to work; it's not right for a princess of the royal house to be commercial, so Andrew and I decided to make the divorce official so I could go off and get a job.'

Some reports at the time suggested that she had been holding out for a larger divorce settlement.

Sarah denied these claims, however, stating that all she wanted was to be on good terms with Andrew's family once again, particularly with the late Queen. 

Though it has almost been three decades since their divorce, the Duke and Duchess have remained friends over the years.

They brought up Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie together and Fergie continues to live in Prince Andrew's home, Royal Lodge at Windsor. 

In fact, the pair have appeared to spend more time together than they had spent during the ten years they were actually married.

And the pair regularly go on holiday together with their daughters.

The Duchess pictured escorting a young Princess Beatrice to school in Windsor after the news of the Yorks' separation 

Prince Andrew pictured on the day of the couple's separation, which was the same day as the anniversary of their engagement 

Sarah has previously told The Daily Mail: 'We're the happiest divorced couple in the world. We're divorced to each other, not from each other.'

Discussing their wedding day and their continued relationship, she added: 'July 23, 1986 was the happiest day of my life. Andrew is the best man I know. What he does for Britain is incredible; no one knows how hard he works for his country.

'My duty is to him. I am so proud of him. I stand by him and always will. The way we are is our fairy tale.

'Although we are not a couple, we really believe in each other. The Yorks are a united family. We've shown it.'