Royal Watch News

Sarah Ferguson's stepmother gets engaged

Sep 5, 2012, 19:27 GMT

Sarah Ferguson

Britain's Duchess of York's stepmother has got engaged.

Sarah Ferguson - ex-wife of Prince Andrew - is delighted Susan Ferguson has found love with former Army commander Sir Richard Swinburn, nine years after the death of Sarah's father Major Ronald Ferguson.

She told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: 'I'm delighted. I've met Sir Richard several times and I'm very happy for both of them.'

Susan, 66, was married to Major Ferguson for 27 years and they had a son and two daughters together.

Ferguson was previously married to Sarah's mother, also called Susan, and they also had another daughter, Jane.

After they split, she went on to marry the Argentine polo player Hector Barrantes.

However, she was killed in a road accident in 1998.

Richard, a former Army commander, who turns 74 next month, lost his beloved wife, Janey, in 2001.

Sarah - who has two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie with Andrew - is very close to her family but she recently had to miss Eugenie's graduation because she is recovering from an operation.

The flame-haired star did not join her ex-husband to see the 22-year-old princess be presented with her 2:1 combined degree in English and History of Art at Newcastle University in July as she was in Thailand recuperating after a bout of illness and a surgical procedure.

A spokesperson said: 'She had an operation a while ago and this was always planned as a period of recuperation.

'Of course, she is disappointed to miss her daughter's graduation.'