Before Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson, his best-known relationship was with American actress Koo Stark. But many royal fans might not realize that he spent two terms of his school life living in Canada when he was just 16—a time when Andrew fell for a fellow teenager, Sandi Jones. Prince Andrew met Jones when he watched Princess Anne compete in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and six months later, the couple reunited when he attended an exchange program at Lakefield College School in Ontario, Canada. It was a significant relationship for Jones—who would go on to attend Prince Andrew and Ferguson’s wedding.
According to Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, the young prince “began spending nearly every weekend” with Jones during his time at Lakefield College. Like his father, Prince Philip, and brother, Prince Charles, Andrew attended Gordonstoun School in Scotland, and Lakefield also focused on “community service and outdoor activity.”
“In a way he quite resented being a prince,” Jones told the author. “He hated the fact that he was marked out for attention, that he could never be on his own…the fact that his royal bodyguard always followed him around got on top of him.”
Prince Andrew (left) is seen during his time at Lakefield College School in 1977.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prince Andrew (right) is seen with younger brother Prince Edward and mom Queen Elizabeth at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he met Jones.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are seen on their 1986 wedding day.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Entitled: the Rise and Fall of the House of York
War of the Windsors
In the book War Of The Windsors: The Inside Story Of Charles, Andrew And The Rivalry That Has Defined The Royal Family, author Nigel Cawthorne wrote that Jones taught Prince Andrew to do a dance called “The Bump” and he “managed to ditch his protection officer” while on the ski slopes to “spend time alone with Sandi.”
“On one summer’s evening, as they sat in the silence of the wilderness, he asked her to marry him and run away with him to Gretna Green,” Cawthorne wrote. “But in their hearts they both realised it was an impossible dream.”
The topic of marriage came up again just before Andrew’s own wedding day. Jones was invited to the wedding, and when she was interviewed before the celebration, Andrew’s ex-girlfriend didn’t hold back her true feelings.
“Were we lovers? Use your imagination,” Jones said, per Lownie. “We were very, very close. As close as any couple can ever be. I still love him. I’d marry him tomorrow if he asked me.”
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