Wedding dress of Sarah Ferguson Wedding dress of Sarah Ferguson Sarah Ferguson wore a dress made from ivory duchesse satin and featuring heavy beading for her wedding to Prince Andrew, Duke of York on 23 July 1986 at Westminster Abbey. Designed by Lindka Cierach, the beadwork incorporated various symbols including hearts representing romance, anchors and waves representing Prince Andrew's sailing background and bumblebees and thistles, which were taken from Sarah Ferguson's family heraldry. Copies of the dress, including the motifs specific to the royal family, went on sale in stores just hours after the end of the wedding. Influenced by the wedding dress of Lady
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough was now his heir apparent. In 1702, King William III died, and Anne became queen. Anne immediately offered John Churchill a dukedom, which Sarah initially refused. Sarah was concerned that a dukedom would strain the family's finances; a ducal family at the time was expected to show off its rank through lavish entertainments. Anne countered by offering the Marlboroughs a pension of £5000 a year, for life, from Parliament, as well as an extra £2000 a year from the Privy Purse, and they accepted the Dukedom. Sarah was promptly created Mistress of the Robes (the highest office in the royal