Ronald Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Major Ronald Ivor Ferguson (10 October 1931 – 16 March 2003) was the father of Sarah, Duchess of York
, former wife to The Duke of York
. He is the maternal grandfather of Princesses Beatrice
and Eugenie
of York. Major Ferguson was polo manager, initially to the The Duke of Edinburgh
and later, for many years, to The Prince of Wales
.
Ronald Ferguson was the second son of Andrew Henry Ferguson (1899–1966) and his wife Lady Marian Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott
(1908–1996), a first cousin of Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, who became (after her wedding to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
) Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
and an aunt-by-marriage of Elizabeth II. His grandfather was Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Herbert Montagu Douglas Scott
, son of Sir William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Louisa Jane Hamilton. An elder brother, John, died at 10 years of age from peritonitis
. He was born in London
and grew up at Dummer Down Farm, his later home in adulthood, at Dummer, near Basingstoke
in Hampshire
. He attended Eton College
and Sandhurst
, and entered the Life Guards
in 1952, the regiment of which his father had previously been Colonel
. In 1954 Ferguson was promoted to Lieutenant
and Captain in 1958. Ferguson retired in 1968 and was "granted the honorary rank of Major
". During his career he served with the regiment in Germany
, Egypt
, Aden
, and Cyprus
.
Ferguson's first wife was Susan Wright
. They married in St Margaret's Church, Westminster on 17 January 1956. They had two daughters: Jane Louisa, born on 26 August 1957, and Sarah Margaret
, later the Duchess of York, born on 15 October 1959. They divorced in 1974. During their marriage the Fergusons were recognised society figures. The Major retired from his army career and his family moved to Dummer Down Farm which he inherited upon his father's death. It left him also more time to devote to polo, another of his passions. His interest in polo frequently brought him into contact with the Royal Family
, and it was through this connection that his daughter, Sarah, met Prince Andrew.
In 1975, Ferguson married for the second time to Susan Deptford. They had three children, Andrew (b. 1978), Alice (b. 1980), and Eliza Charlotte (b. 1985, Basingstoke
).
In 1987, Ferguson was entered as an officer (brother) in the Venerable Order of Saint John
.
In 1988, while his daughter Sarah
was married to The Duke of York
, the News of the World
printed a story about Ferguson's membership of the Wigmore Club, "a health club and massage parlour in London staffed by girls who, dressed in starched white 'medical' gowns, allegedly offered a la carte sexual services to members." He maintained that he had used the club "for massage only... and by that I mean a totally straight one" and as "a kind of cocoon where I could shut myself away for an hour and think". The controversy did not affect his marriage, however it led him to leave his post as The Prince of Wales' polo manager and his position at the Guards Polo Club
. His rare media appearances were to defend his daughter Sarah and raise awareness of prostate cancer. In 1994 he published his autobiography, The Galloping Major: My Life in Singular Times.
Ferguson battled cancer during the last decade of his life. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, and also had skin cancer. In March 2003 he died, aged 71, of a heart attack
at The Hampshire Clinic, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. He was reinstated with the Guards Polo Club
shortly before he died. The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York were among the few who attended his private funeral. His death came four-and-a-half years after his former wife, Mrs Susan Barrantes, who had died in a car crash in Argentina
in September 1998.
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
, former wife to The Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. He is the maternal grandfather of Princesses Beatrice
Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Beatrice of York is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York...
and Eugenie
Princess Eugenie of York
Princess Eugenie of York Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990) is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York...
of York. Major Ferguson was polo manager, initially to the The Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
and later, for many years, to The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
.
Ronald Ferguson was the second son of Andrew Henry Ferguson (1899–1966) and his wife Lady Marian Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott
Marian Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott
Marian Louisa Elmhirst, Lady Elmhirst was the first daughter born to Lord Herbert Montagu Douglas Scott and Marie Edwards...
(1908–1996), a first cousin of Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, who became (after her wedding to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
) Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife and then widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V and Queen Mary.The daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, Scotland’s largest landowner, her brothers Walter and...
and an aunt-by-marriage of Elizabeth II. His grandfather was Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Herbert Montagu Douglas Scott
Lord Herbert Montagu Douglas Scott
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Herbert Andrew Montagu Douglas Scott, [K.St.J] DSO, CMG , was the fifth child born to William Henry Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch & 8th Duke of Queensberry and Lady Louisa Jane Hamilton.Lord Herbert Andrew was a great-grandfather to Sarah, Duchess of...
, son of Sir William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Louisa Jane Hamilton. An elder brother, John, died at 10 years of age from peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
. He was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and grew up at Dummer Down Farm, his later home in adulthood, at Dummer, near Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. He attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, and entered the Life Guards
Life Guards (British Army)
The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
in 1952, the regiment of which his father had previously been Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. In 1954 Ferguson was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and Captain in 1958. Ferguson retired in 1968 and was "granted the honorary rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
". During his career he served with the regiment in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
Ferguson's first wife was Susan Wright
Susan Barrantes
Susan Barrantes was an English aristocrat related to the House of Stuart and the mother of Sarah, Duchess of York, and the maternal grandmother of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York.She was born Susan Mary Wright in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, the daughter of FitzHerbert...
. They married in St Margaret's Church, Westminster on 17 January 1956. They had two daughters: Jane Louisa, born on 26 August 1957, and Sarah Margaret
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
, later the Duchess of York, born on 15 October 1959. They divorced in 1974. During their marriage the Fergusons were recognised society figures. The Major retired from his army career and his family moved to Dummer Down Farm which he inherited upon his father's death. It left him also more time to devote to polo, another of his passions. His interest in polo frequently brought him into contact with the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, and it was through this connection that his daughter, Sarah, met Prince Andrew.
In 1975, Ferguson married for the second time to Susan Deptford. They had three children, Andrew (b. 1978), Alice (b. 1980), and Eliza Charlotte (b. 1985, Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
).
In 1987, Ferguson was entered as an officer (brother) in the Venerable Order of Saint John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
.
In 1988, while his daughter Sarah
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
was married to The Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
printed a story about Ferguson's membership of the Wigmore Club, "a health club and massage parlour in London staffed by girls who, dressed in starched white 'medical' gowns, allegedly offered a la carte sexual services to members." He maintained that he had used the club "for massage only... and by that I mean a totally straight one" and as "a kind of cocoon where I could shut myself away for an hour and think". The controversy did not affect his marriage, however it led him to leave his post as The Prince of Wales' polo manager and his position at the Guards Polo Club
Guards Polo Club
Guards Polo Club is the polo club most closely associated with the British Royal Family. HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh has been President of the club since its formation in 1955 and HM The Queen is its Patron...
. His rare media appearances were to defend his daughter Sarah and raise awareness of prostate cancer. In 1994 he published his autobiography, The Galloping Major: My Life in Singular Times.
Ferguson battled cancer during the last decade of his life. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, and also had skin cancer. In March 2003 he died, aged 71, of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at The Hampshire Clinic, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. He was reinstated with the Guards Polo Club
Guards Polo Club
Guards Polo Club is the polo club most closely associated with the British Royal Family. HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh has been President of the club since its formation in 1955 and HM The Queen is its Patron...
shortly before he died. The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York were among the few who attended his private funeral. His death came four-and-a-half years after his former wife, Mrs Susan Barrantes, who had died in a car crash in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in September 1998.