The story begins with a flat denial. Sarah Ferguson, 67, is not writing a royal tell-all, her representatives say. “She is not writing a personal memoir,” her team said in a statement, adding that there have been “no discussions” about a book deal. Reports in late September had suggested she was close to a lucrative publishing agreement, one that would dig into her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
A warning to stay quiet
Royal commentator Hilary Fordwich was blunt about the stakes. “The only hope she has of any future, indeed also any future with her own daughters and grandchildren, is to be discreet,” she said. A tell-all might bring a short-term payday, Fordwich argued, but would leave lasting personal damage. She said Ferguson should stick to projects that have nothing to do with the monarch, and claimed the former duchess is already unwelcome in some aristocratic circles.
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner said Ferguson would worry about what airing family matters might do to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. He added that the speculation might have served some other purpose, though he conceded no one can know. Helena Chard, another broadcaster, described Ferguson as keeping a low profile and believing she can recover from another bout of public criticism.
Epstein still hangs over her. Documents tied to the financier allegedly included emails in which Ferguson asked him for financial help and stayed in touch after his conviction involving a person under 18. She is not accused of any legal wrongdoing.
A rift with Andrew
At its heart, this is a family falling out. Ferguson and Andrew divorced in 1996 yet lived together at Royal Lodge for 18 years afterward, and called themselves the “world’s most friendly divorced couple.” That ended when Andrew, 66, was evicted from Royal Lodge last year. He now lives at the more modest Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate.
An insider told The Times that “the red setter, as she’s known, is not welcome at Marsh Farm,” and called her “persona non grata.” Other insiders say Andrew now calls Ferguson a “traitor” who left him when the Epstein storm broke. One described a “calculated decision to distance herself.” Ferguson, they say, finds the accusations “laughable” and thinks he is blaming her for what he did himself.
For their daughters, it has been painful. Sources say Andrew accuses Ferguson of turning the girls against him, while Beatrice and Eugenie are “stuck in the middle.” Ferguson has stayed close to them. In August she flew to Portugal to support Eugenie after the birth of her third child, a daughter named Adelaide.
Waiting to return
Ferguson, nicknamed the “disappearing Duchess,” has yet to be seen on home soil, even though she has reportedly settled into a gated rental property on the outskirts of London. Insiders say she feels ready to restart her life after a year of chaos. For now, her team insists there is no book, leaving royal watchers to guess how she means to move forward without further hurting her family.
Sources
- Sarah Ferguson Slams Rumors She's Writing a Tell-All Book as Expert Warns Discretion Is Her 'Only Hope' to Stay Close to Royal Family – AOL
- Sarah Ferguson ‘iced out’ by the one royal who always had her back – this will be hard to forgive
- Former Prince Andrew Calls Ex-Wife Sarah Ferguson a ‘Traitor’ Over This — Insider
Photo: Pierre,Sami & Roxi Cola (CC0)
