Inside the Reinvention of Sarah Ferguson, the
Ultimate Royal Rebel
The Duchess of York has discovered that the best way
to find a happy ending is to write it herself.
BY ANDREW
GOLDMAN AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MISAN HARRIMAN
JUL 26, 2021
(…)” The
Fleet Street papers initially loved her raunchy edge but eventually decided it
was more vulgar than charming. “It was always that Diana was portrayed as the
saint and I was portrayed as the sinner,” she says. “Bad Fergie sold an awful
lot of papers.” This new not-so-naughty Fergie, however, hopes to sell a lot of
books. She’s about to release her first romance novel, Her Heart for a Compass,
which is described as “a novel of the Victorian era” but is recognizable to
close readers as more than that: part historical biography, part roman à clef,
packaged safely in a fictional context.”
(…) “The
one figure in Ferguson’s life with significant staying power is Prince Andrew,
who has demonstrated similar devotion. “There is no question that we remain
steadfast to each other in loyalty, integrity, honor,” she says, haltingly,
when asked about his relationship with Epstein. Back in 2011 she dealt directly
with the fact that she had accepted $24,500 from Epstein to help restructure
her debts, remarking she was “just so contrite I cannot say,” a press strategy
that might have saved her ex-husband’s reputation had he been half as
proactive. “The family is everything to me,” she says. “The most important
thing is the girls.”
Duchess of York apologises for 'gigantic error of
judgement' over debt
12 April
2012
The Duchess
of York made a heartfelt apology today for accepting money from billionaire
paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In an
exclusive interview with the Evening Standard, she owned up to "a gigantic
error of judgment" but strongly defended Prince Andrew over the
controversy surrounding his friendship with the financier, a convicted sex
offender.
She also
made a passionate defence of her former husband who she described as a
"first-rate father and first-rate man ... who does not know how to tell an
untruth or behave dishonourably".
Andrew's
future as a trade envoy was in doubt today after a string of revelations about
his ties with Epstein, including a recent stay at the tycoon's home in New York
and past visits to a Florida mansion where young women were allegedly groomed
by Epstein for sex.
Downing
Street expressed "full confidence" in Andrew, but Business Secretary
Vince Cable put clear distance between ministers and the prince's future,
saying there would be "conversations" about his role.
Sarah's
apology for allowing Epstein to provide £15,000 to help pay off her debts may
take some of the pressure off the prince.
"I
personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became
involved in any way with me," she said. "I abhor paedophilia and any
sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on
my behalf.
"I am
just so contrite I cannot say. Whenever I can I will repay the money and will
have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again."
The money
was paid to Sarah's former assistant, Johnny O'Sullivan, who was claiming
£78,000 in unpaid wages and other bills. Epstein stepped in after discussing
the affair with Andrew's office and dealt directly with Mr O'Sullivan, who
accepted £15,000 which then allowed a wider restructuring of Sarah's £5 million
debts to take place.
Epstein had
personally offered to help the duchess as he knew that Mr O'Sullivan was
insisting his money was paid in full, which meant the rest of the debt could
not be restructured.
Epstein did
not speak directly to the duchess about the payment but through the duke's
office and then directly with Mr O'Sullivan.
The duchess
said: "This is the first time ever in my life, and I mean 'ever', that I
have been debt free. It allows me to go forward to do what I do, being a good
mother, a philanthropist for children and also an author of children's books.
"I
cannot state more strongly that I know a terrible, terrible error of judgment
was made, my having anything do with Jeffrey Epstein. What he did was wrong and
for which he was rightly jailed.
"I had
no idea of the string of other allegations and court cases against him and I am
distraught that I should have allowed myself to get out of debt with any help
from him when my judgment was clouded.
"Once
again my errors have compounded and rebounded and also inadvertently impacted
on the man I admire most in the world, the duke.
"He
has supported me and come to my rescue again and again and there is absolutely
nothing that I would not do for him. This make it even more painful for me that
what happened has been used by people to make his life more difficult."
The duchess
added: "I would throw myself under a bus for him. It is in times of
difficulty that character shows itself. I am fiery Irish redhead and I am to
remain strong, fight strong and try to do what is right.
"The
duke is a man who does not know how to tell an untruth or behave dishonourably.
There have been errors of judgment but nothing substantive has been done wrong
by him, ever.
"I am
not going to stand back and let him take any more abuse from any suggestion or
implications of impropriety. It is so wrong.
"He is
a first-rate father; he's a first-rate man, the finest that I know. I will not
have his name tarnished by me yet again. Look at all that he has done for the
country. He works tirelessly."
Sarah
believed at the time that she had done nothing wrong because she had no contact
with Epstein herself. She now says she realises that this was an error and
concedes that she did benefit from his paying Mr O'Sullivan.
"I
have made another huge error in my life in order to get debt free but the duke
and I are a united front on all that has happened over the last few days. He,
my girls and I are a unit who will always stick together even though we live
separate lives."
Sarah made
clear that the duke was going to New York anyway on the fateful visit when he
stayed with Epstein and was not staying at his house at her request. There is
no suggestion of the duke having sexual contact with the girls involved or
being aware of Epstein's activities.
Sarah said:
"The duke sorted out my debts and he and his office have been more than
marvellous."
Sarah said
that as trade envoy Andrew had "done an amazing job for the country and
people should respect that". He has been the UK's Special Representative
for International Trade and Investment since 2001. He has known Epstein, 58,
since the early Nineties. The financier was sentenced to 18 months in prison in
2008 for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution. Sarah said her desperation
to be debt-free blinded her to the consequences of getting involved with
Epstein but insisted: "I will never have anything to do with him again. I
deeply regret it. How many more times do you want me to underline that?"
"My
whole work is charity and children's books and I just did not think this
through. I did not see the ramifications I was so intent on being clear of my
debt." The duchess spent this weekend with Andrew and her daughters. She
said: "As the father of my children I am fed up with the way he has been
portrayed. I believe nothing improper or untoward took place with the Duke and
anything to do with Epstein."
Downing
Street denied reports that the Government had decided to downgrade Andrew's
role and that a review would be held to reduce his responsibilities.
Timeline:
The Prince and the paedophile
December
2010
Prince
Andrew is pictured walking through New York's Central Park with Jeffrey
Epstein. The pictures were made public by the News of the World two weeks ago.
Andrew had reportedly been staying at Epstein's New York mansion. The financier
had been jailed two years earlier for soliciting prostitution from minors and
served 13 months.
February
2011
A picture
is released of The Duke of York, 51, with his arm around the bare midriff of
Virginia Roberts, then 17, a vulnerable teenager allegedly hired to work as an
erotic masseuse and perform sexual favours for Epstein and his friends.
March 2011
Prince
Andrew promises to sever his links with child sex offender Epstein. The Duke of
York admitted that meeting the disgraced billionaire in December was
"unwise" and ruled out further visits to the Florida mansion where
Epstein allegedly sexually exploited underage girls.
March 2011
It is
revealed that the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson accepted £15,000 from Epstein
to help pay off her debts. Epstein paid the money directly to her former
personal assistant, Johnny O'Sullivan. The duchess has now admitted that it was
a mistake to rely financially on the disgraced billionaire and said she will return
the money.
March 2011
The FBI
says it will reopen its investigation into Epstein following the revelations
about his sexual exploitation of teenage girls and his links with high-profile
people including Prince Andrew.
March 2011
It emerges
that the prince has been named in legal documents about Epstein. Epstein's PA
Sarah Kellen and his model girlfriend Nadia Marcinkova were both questioned
over whether Andrew had sex with teenage girls. Both of them refused to answer
the questions in order not to implicate themselves, the legal papers show.
One Year After His Disastrous TV Interview,
Prince Andrew Remains a Royal Outcast
Time has not helped heal the Prince's public image.
BY VICTORIA
MURPHY
NOV 14, 2020
prince Andrew
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHAGETTY IMAGES
Only Prince
Andrew knows exactly what he was thinking when he walked into his now infamous
interview with the BBC’s Newsnight about his controversial friendship with
Jeffrey Epstein. One can presume, however, that he was not expecting that just
two days after it aired in full that he would be releasing a statement
announcing he was stepping back from public duties.
It has been
almost exactly 12 months since Andrew’s disastrous choice of words sealed his
own fate, and his November 20, 2019 statement remains the last thing posted on
his once busy Twitter feed. It would be hard for anyone to forget his
spectacular fall from grace, but the statement also serves as a reminder that
time has so far not been a healer for the beleaguered Prince’s public image. If
anything, the opposite is true, with Andrew's removal as a face of the monarchy
even more total than initially anticipated.
At the time
he announced he was stepping back, it was suggested that Andrew would still be
expected to attend certain events publicly with his family. Examples cited of
when we might see him alongside the Queen and the rest of her descendants
included Trooping the Colour, Christmas at Sandringham, and Remembrance Sunday.
But the
Duke of York was nowhere to be seen as 10 members of the royal family made
their annual pilgrimage to the Cenotaph in central London last week to honor
the war dead. The Queen’s second son may have served with the Royal Navy for 22
years and continue to hold honorary military appointments. But now, his every
public appearance symbolizes nothing but controversy.
By the time
he didn’t show for Remembrance it was hardly a surprise as it followed 12
months of bowing out of appearing publicly at all. The Prince kept a low
profile at Sandringham at Christmas last year and did not attend the main 11
a.m. service for which the royals walk past crowds on their way to St Mary
Magdalene Church. There was no debate about whether he would be at Trooping the
Colour in June because the Queen’s official birthday celebrations were
completely overhauled and she was the only royal who attended. But the fact
that he did not feature in his own daughter, Princess Beatrice’s official
wedding photographs sent the clearest message so far that the idea he can
appear publicly at family events is still considered too much of a risk for the
monarchy’s image.
Andrew has
long been an unpopular royal with the British public, with a YouGov poll in
2011—the year after he was photographed walking with Epstein in Central
Park—putting his net approval rating at negative 19. A recent poll by the same
firm puts his current net favorability score at minus 73%. There is also no
avoiding the fact that the Prince’s friendship with Epstein will continue to
cause damage to the Windsor brand whenever the subject surfaces. And the
spotlight remains on him over the issue as his friend Ghislaine Maxwell remains
in custody charged in connection with Epstein’s crimes—allegations she denies.
However, it
has now been almost a whole year since the moment Andrew sealed his fate in the
court of public opinion—and for a family whose activities strictly follow the
rhythm of the calendar even during unprecedented times, this marks something of
a milestone. The question marks over which annual events he would appear at
publicly after stepping back have now largely been answered. Perhaps in the
future things will change, but for now it appears that Prince Andrew remains,
officially, out of the picture.
VICTORIA
MURPHY
Town &
Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal
Family for nine years.
This
article is more than 10 years old
Sarah Ferguson faces bankruptcy after running up
debts of millions
This
article is more than 10 years old
Queen said to be concerned Duchess of York could
become first royal to be declared legally bankrupt in court
Jenny
Percival
Sun 8 Aug
2010 15.57 BST
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/aug/08/sarah-ferguson-bankrupt-debts-millions
The Duchess
of York is doing "everything she can" to avoid bankruptcy as she
struggles to manage debts running into millions of pounds, it was revealed
today.
Sarah
Ferguson has paid off all her personal debts, her spokesman said, and her
business debts – some of which are disputed – were "being managed",
although voluntary bankruptcy was still an option.
Ferguson's
money woes became public after a newspaper claimed her personal and business
debts had risen to almost £5m, prompting fears in the royal family that
bankruptcy was now her best option.
However,
her spokesman said the figure was exaggerated. Sources said later that the
Duchess owed around £2m. Ferguson's spokesman said she was reluctant to declare
herself bankrupt. "There is a number of options open to the duchess, of
which bankruptcy is one. But it would be premature to say she is going into
bankruptcy as the situation is being managed," she said.
The Queen
was "deeply concerned" about Ferguson's debts, according to the
Sunday Telegraph, and had discussed them with David Cameron recently at one of
his weekly audiences. The newspaper said Prince Andrew, Ferguson's ex-husband,
was masterminding a "rescue plan" to avoid the embarrassment of filing
for bankruptcy. No senior member of the royal family has been declared
bankrupt.
Ferguson
went public with her financial problems in May, after being caught in a
cash-for-access scandal.
She was
filmed accepting money from a News Of The World reporter posing as a business
tycoon, in exchange for an introduction to Andrew. In an interview later with
US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey, the ex-royal admitted she was
"substantially" in debt and was considering filing for bankruptcy.
She
declined to say exactly how much she owed, nor would she confirm that she
received only £15,000 a year from her divorce settlement. The Sunday Telegraph
said that more than half of Ferguson's debts related to money owed in the US,
primarily for lawyers' fees.
Since
divorcing in 1996, Ferguson has written children's books, made television
documentaries and acted as a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers in America.
Hartmoor, the US company that dealt with her media, publishing and licensing
work, folded last year with debts of £650,000.
One debt
expert said today that Ferguson would benefit from bankruptcy, even if it
proved an embarrassing experience.
Richard
Sorksy, a senior counsellor with the UK Insolvency Helpline, said: "It's a
simple civil court procedure costing around £500 which will enable her to walk
away from every single penny of her debt. If your assets are of a lesser value
than your debts and if your income is not great enough to meet your expenses,
it's generally a good option."
However, he
added: "In Sarah Ferguson's case, it's a matter of the higher you climb,
the harder you fall; it could be publicly humiliating if every dirty detail of
her debt were to be made available in the high court."
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