Ron Ferguson: Polo Manager and Father of the Duchess of York Dies at 71

Major Ronald Ferguson was an English army officer and polo manager, the father of Sarah, Duchess of York. Born on October 10, 1931, in London, he served in the Life Guards and retired in 1968.

He became polo manager to the Duke of Edinburgh and later to Prince Charles, and in 1979 won the Silver Jubilee Cup with England II. He was nicknamed the "Galloping Major." A 1988 newspaper story led him to give up his polo posts.

He had five children across two marriages and was the grandfather of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. He died of a heart attack at the Hampshire Clinic in Basingstoke on March 16, 2003, at age 71.

Achievements: Polo manager to the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, Silver Jubilee Cup (1979).

Birth: October 10, 1931 - London, England.

Profession: Army officer and polo manager.

Interesting Facts: He was a cousin of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.