While scandal has followed them for decades, Sarah Ferguson once quipped that she and Prince Andrew are “the happiest divorced couple in the world”. Now, with rumours of a remarriage – nearly thirty years after their 1996 divorce – strengthened by Sarah’s skin cancer diagnosis last month, an engagement could  be fast-tracked to this year, with a source revealing how Andrew, 63, is determined to prove just how special ‘Fergie’, 64, is to him.

The insider says, “Andrew is not going to be talked out of this, he wants Sarah to be his lawful wedded wife again. He feels she deserves that after all the loyalty and love she’s shown him in his difficult time.

“Now that she’s facing this health crisis Andrew is convinced that he needs to propose. He wants to let it be known to her and the world that she’s the true love of his life.”

However, after being all but estranged from the Royal Family publicly after being stripped of the title ‘HRH’ in 2019 when the allegations of sexual assault against him first came to light, the insider reveals the one thing stopping Andrew from putting a royal ring on it – he can’t afford one. The source adds, “Andrew’s finances are stretched to the limit, he simply can’t afford to give Sarah a proper engagement ring and wedding without the Firm kicking in for it – and he doesn’t see why he’s not owed a little bit of support.

 “His mother would always bail them out, not just him, so now he’s expecting his family to dip into their personal money to do the same.

“Andrew is feeling extremely righteous about this. He doesn’t think this is cheeky or entitled of him at all and says family should stick together in tough times, full stop. He’s really quite shameless about it all.”

However, this isn’t the first time the Royal Family have allegedly been forced to intervene for Andrew. His relationship with the late Queen was famously explored in Netflix drama The Crown and he is rumoured to have been his mother’s ‘favourite son’. And when he was forced to settle his legal case out of court in February 2022, it was his dear ‘mummy’ who reportedly stepped in to help him fork out an eye-watering £12 million in settlement costs, alongside funding his legal aid throughout the trial.

But while Prince Charles has famously been stern with Prince Andrew – forcing him to pay for the maintenance of Royal Lodge and even reportedly threatening to kick him out of the family-owned property – the source says Andrew is still shamelessly pursuing some royal pocket money in the form of a hefty loan.

They add, “He’s got to raise the money from somewhere, and it’s not like he’s able to take out a loan or hit up any old friends – at least, not discreetly or easily.

“So the best case scenario here, from his perspective, is to ask members of his family for a loan. It’s not like he’s asking for a straight up hand out, he has every intention of paying this back – he just doesn’t want to wait until he’s got the money because time is of the essence.”

And the costs don’t stop there, as the insider says Prince Andrew is eyeing up another bash to rival their first wedding in 1986, which took place at Westminster Abbey before the couple shared a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. They add, “He wants Sarah to have a second wedding that is befitting of the love of his life and cements her status back inside the Firm. He doesn’t want a scrappy blink-and-you’ll miss it type ceremony that’s cheap and cheerful.”

While they have both remained notoriously at the forefront of royal life as they continue to share their family home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor together, Sarah’s breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy last summer turned the couple’s world upside down. Royal Author Angela Levin said at the time, “You can keep separate and you want to go your own way but if you are a loving couple, you live together while not married, you start rethinking.” And last month – just a year after being diagnosed with breast cancer-  it was revealed that Sarah, who is also grandmother to her daughters’ three children – is now facing a battle with skin cancer, with representatives revealing that the mum-of-two is undergoing tests to confirm the disease has been found in its early stages.

Following King Charles’ own cancer diagnosis last month, Sarah – who shares daughters Princess Beatrice, 35, Princess Eugenie, 33, with Andrew-  took to social media to share her well-wishes. Sharing a picture of her speaking at a cancer charity fundraiser in Florida, Sarah wrote, “His Majesty is very dear to me and I think I speak for everyone when I say he is in my thoughts and prayers.”

A source also added, “The King and Sarah are incredibly fond of one another and now they have bonded over their respective cancer diagnosis with an exchange of letters.

Cancer is a wicked disease that affects so many individuals and their families and it’s clear that extra support from loved ones and the extended cancer community can help immeasurably.”

Now, while it’s yet to be known whether the royals will raid their pockets –again – for the Prince, the insider says Andrew does have luck on his side when it comes to the royal’s affection for Fergie – who unexpectedly joined the family for Christmas in December, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle remained estranged in California.

They say, “The silver lining in all of this is that everyone really likes Sarah, she’s proven her loyalty and discretion many times over.

They know she’ll be a calming influence on Andrew so, in the end, paying for this wedding, as long as he keeps it relatively simple, could prove to be well worth it for everyone.”