Sarah, Duchess of York Scott, a first cousin of Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, who married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, an uncle of Queen Elizabeth II. Sarah also has connections to the United States. Through ancestors of her great-great-grandfather, Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt, Sarah is probably a descendant of Adam Winthrop, grandfather of Massachusetts Bay Colony founder John Winthrop, and is thus connected to the Winthrop family. Sarah, Duchess of York Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a British writer, charity patron, film producer, and television personality. She is the
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough John chose Sarah over Catherine Sedley, but both John's and Sarah's families disapproved of the match, therefore they married secretly in the winter of 1677–78. John and Sarah were both Protestants in a predominantly Catholic court, a circumstance that would influence their political allegiances. Although no date was recorded, the marriage was announced only to the Duchess of York, and a small circle of friends, so that Sarah could keep her court position as Maid of Honour. When Sarah became pregnant, her marriage was announced publicly (on 1 October 1678), and she retired from the court to give birth to