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 Walpole, the First Lord of the Treasury (effectively the same as today's Prime Minister) vetoed the plan. Walpole, although a Whig, had alienated Sarah by supporting peace in Europe; she was also suspicious of his financial probity; and Walpole, in turn, mistrusted Sarah. Despite this, good relations with the royal family continued, and Sarah was occasionally invited to court by Queen Caroline, who attempted to cultivate her friendship. The Duchess of Marlborough was a capable business manager, unusual in a period when women were excluded from most things outside the management of their household. Her friend Arthur Maynwaring wrote that