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As the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson is no stranger to scandal.
But in Binge’s new drama, The Lady, it isn’t Fergie’s bad behaviour that takes the spotlight.
The series focuses on her dresser, Jane Andrews, who was convicted of stabbing her lover to death in 2000.
In scenes that are sure to make The Crown look tame, the new series offers a “partly-fictionalised” look at the life of Andrews.
Read on to learn about the tragic events that actually took place…
Who is former royal dresser Jane Andrews?
Born into poverty in Lincolnshire in 1967, Andrews had a turbulent childhood with parents who had an unhappy marriage.
In her teens and early adult years, she suffered from bouts of depression, panic attacks and an eating disorder.
After graduating from high school, she enrolled in a local fashion college.
While working as a sales assistant at the Grimbsy Marks & Spencers when she was 21, she picked up a copy of The Lady magazine.
Inside was an anonymous job ad to for a personal dresser which she applied for, landing a job at Buckingham Palace six months later.
“I arrived at King’s Cross with a suitcase and £10 in my pocket,” Andrews told the Guardian.
“I got in a taxi and said, ‘Side door of Buckingham Palace’ and the driver made a joke.”
As a stylist for the Duchess of York, the pair developed a firm friendship and she is well reported to have become Fergie’s close confidante.
“Suddenly I was at Balmoral mixing with the royals, having long chats with Princess Diana,” Andrews said. “I was 21 years old and of course I enjoyed it. “
Living the highlife she had once dreamed of, other staff began to make fun of her for mimicking Fergie’s dress, accent and hair colour.
But Fergie nicknamed her “Lady Jane” and dedicated one of her books to her, writing that her “loyalty and kindness knows no bounds”.
The good times weren’t to last. After nine years of loyal service, palace cutbacks in 1997 saw Jane’s job be made redundant.
What did Jane Andrews do that sent her to prison?
In the aftermath of her sacking, Andrews met and fell in love with businessman Thomas Cressman, who was the son of Aston Villa football club’s former chairman.
Having dated for around two years, the pair headed off on holidays in 2000 to the French Riviera.
Andrews was expecting a proposal, but instead, Cressman declared he would never marry her.
The night after they returned home to London, the pair got into an argument, with the fighting so vicious that Cressman called the police.
“Somebody is going to get hurt,” he told authorities, but no one visited his flat.
As he lay in bed asleep, Andrews hit Cressman with a cricket bat and stabbed him in the chest.
Afterwards, Andrews went on the run, texting friends to ask after her partner in hopes of creating an alibi, telling people he was being blackmailed.
She was arrested several days later after police found her overdosed in her car.
Andrews claims that their relationship became increasingly volatile, characterised by physical violence and sexual domination.
Her murder trial began in April 2001 where prosecutors presented her as a scorned woman who killed for revenge.
She was found guilty after 12 hours of jury deliberations and sentence to life in prison.
In 2009, Andrews escaped from East Sutton Park prison, hiding in a hotel room with members of family for several days.
She was recaptured and sent back to jail, before being released in 2019.
Is The Lady based on Fergie’s dresser Jane Andrews?
The Lady is inspired by Jane Andrews’ rags to riches fairytale then her journey from the palace to prison for the murder of her lover.
The four-part Binge series stars Mia McKenna-Bruce as Andrews and Natalie Dormer as the then Duchess of York.
“When Jane Andrews was tried for the murder of Thomas Cressman in 2001 it made headlines around the world,” explained The Lady series writer Debbie O’Malley of her desire to tell the story.
“But behind those headlines lay a much more complex, painful and thought-provoking story – an exploration of female ambition and human frailty and a devastating chain of events that ended in the taking of a man’s life.
“And this story, tied up with our national preoccupation with class and our ongoing obsession with the Royal family, feels every bit as relevant now as it did twenty years ago.’
What is the drama over The Lady TV series?
Ahead of the release of The Lady, Natalie Dormer has announced she won’t be taking part in any promotion of the series.
This came after it was revealed that Sarah Ferguson had apologised to Jeffrey Epstein over email for publically rejecting him.
“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family,” an email from her is alleged to have said.
Fergie, who the actress portrays, recently lost her royal title as her ex-husband was evicted from his home at Royal Lodge and stripped of his honorifics.
“When I agreed to take the role in ‘The Lady,’ I knew portraying the script’s Sarah Ferguson would require nuance,” Natalie told Variety.
“People are layered, their journeys are full of highs and lows, and as an actor, my job is to lean into those elements and bring them to life with honesty and empathy.
“Since completing the project, new information has come to light that makes it impossible for me to reconcile my values with Sarah Ferguson’s behavior, which I believe is inexcusable.”
The Lady will stream in 2026 on Binge.
