Sarah Ferguson’s bond with obsessive aide turned killer Jane Andrews

ITV’s new drama The Lady dramatises the “rags-to-riches” tale of Jane Andrews, Sarah Ferguson’s former dresser, who was convicted of murdering her boyfriend in 2001. 

The series follows the working-class girl from Grimsby, who found herself rubbing shoulders with the royals after landing a job as the former Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace. But after nine years, Jane lost her job and met charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman, whom she was convicted of murdering in 2001.   

Ahead of the show’s premiere, find out everything you need to know about Jane’s relationship with Sarah, including the former dresser’s “obsession” with the royal and why she was made redundant after nine years. 

What did Jane Andrews do? 

In 2001, Jane was jailed for killing her boyfriend, businessman Thomas Cressman. 

His body was found at their shared flat on September 18, 2000; Jane had hit him with a cricket bat and stabbed him in the chest. 

After going on the run for four days, Jane was arrested by police. During the four-week trial, she claimed that Thomas had been abusive during their relationship. 

She was given a life sentence and ordered to serve at least 15 years in jail. 

In 2009, Jane escaped from East Sutton Park prison, but was found after two days at a nearby Premier Inn. She was finally released ten years later and reportedly now works for a charity-funded animal hospital. 

Jane’s relationship with Sarah Ferguson

At the age of 21, while working as a sales assistant for Marks & Spencer in Grimsby, Jane answered an advert for a personal dresser published in the Lady magazine. 

After six months, Jane was offered an interview with Sarah Ferguson, and the pair quickly struck up a friendship.  

According to The Guardian, when Jane arrived at Buckingham Palace, she was taken to her room by one of the housemaids, where she found a bunch of flowers and a card from Sarah that read, “Welcome to the team, the Boss.”

When Jane stood trial for murder in 2001, it was said that she became besotted by Sarah and mimicked her dress sense, accent and hair colour. It’s thought that Sarah nicknamed her dresser Lady Jane. 

At the time of the trial, a Telegraph journalist reported that “friends said Andrews was devoted to the duchess to the point of obsession, assuming her characteristics and copying her style”.

Jane told The Guardian in 2001: “If my accent changed, it was only because people made fun of the way I said ‘bath’ and ‘grass’. Fergie was headstrong, but she was good to me.”

The strengthening of Sarah and Jane’s bond

The friendship between Sarah and Jane was further strengthened by the breakdown of Sarah’s marriage to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly the Duke of York. Jane, whose marriage to IBM executive Christopher Dunn-Butler had also ended, was no stranger to heartbreak herself. 

After her split from Andrew, Jane was one of Sarah’s few remaining servants. The pair travelled around the work together, and Jane became a close confidant of the former Duchess of York.

Sarah even referenced Jane in the introduction to one of her travel books, thanking her for her “loyalty and kindness.” 

When Jane met Dimitri Horne, a Greek shipping magnate, at a charity event, the pair quickly fell in love and moved into a flat the former Duchess had rented for her.

Why was Jane Andrews fired? 

After nine years of service, Jane lost her job as Sarah’s assistant due to financial reasons. However, according to The Guardian, Jane claimed that she was let go after the Italian aristocrat, Count Gaddo della Gherardesca, with whom the duchess was allegedly linked to, showed an interest in her. 

This was denied by palace officials, who said Jane’s redundancy was a cost-cutting exercise. 

The following year, Jane began dating Thomas Cressman. 

ITV’s new drama, The Lady

ITV’s new drama The Lady dramatises the life of Jane Andrews, a young working-class girl from Grimsby who landed a job as the former Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace. 

After losing her job, Jane went on to meet charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman and fell deeply in love. However, cracks soon began to show and the relationship ended in murder. 

Costume designer Emma Fryer emphasised the importance of being considerate of the real people involved. “I’ve done jobs like this before, like the Ruth Ellis story, where they’re difficult stories to tell on a certain level,” she told HELLO! in an exclusive interview. “And there are elements that you have to be incredibly respectful about in terms of certain characters.”

The Lady airs on ITV on 22 February.