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At a time when 1 out of every 3 British marriages ends in divorce, however, the Yorks are hardly an unusual case. "I think the appeal of the monarchy is precisely that these are ordinary people with ordinary problems," said Lord St. John of Fawsley, a British constitutional expert. He pointed to "the prevailing climate of moral opinion" that accepts divorce. The royal family, if anything, has had more than its share of split-ups: Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister, ended her marriage with Lord Snowdon 14 years ago, and Andrew's sister Princess Anne is separated from her husband. Charles and Diana, frequently apart, struggle with widely rumored private strains. The Queen's marriage to Prince Philip is the only one that remains resolutely correct.
During the 1936 constitutional crisis over the engagement of King Edward VIII -- later the Duke of Windsor -- and American divorce Wallis Warfield, Winston Churchill growled, "Why shouldn't the King be allowed to marry his cutie?" Playwright Noel Coward shot back, "Because England doesn't wish for a Queen Cutie." Today many Britons want a taste of soap opera in their royalty. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess Cutie, proved very suitable -- if only temporarily -- for that.