There is a mixture of sympathy and horror here in Great Britain for the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, whose financial situation, in her own words, “is under stress.” She was caught on camera by an undercover reporter for the News of the World offering to sell access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, for £500,000, which would be approximately $750,000. The reporter who did the sting posed as a businessman.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has a lot of business connections. He is the UK’s Special Representative for Trade and Investment. He travels the world meeting royalty, heads of state and businessmen, greasing the wheels for business deals to be done by British companies all over the world, and courting investment here. We followed Prince Andrew on one such trip to North Africa. His position as a member of the royal family does afford him incredible access, which he uses, not for his own enrichment, but to help British business. It is a job, from what we could tell from our contact with the Duke, he takes very seriously.
So this scandal is about Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, trying to make money off the connections Prince Andrew makes. In the exchange filmed by the undercover reporter, Ferguson goes out of her way to explain that the Prince knew nothing of her plans. That he is totally clean and above board in his work at the UK’s trade ambassador. And his spokespeople have insisted he was completely unaware of this. A lot of people will believe that here. But others will be skeptical, as Prince Andrew has been called “Air Miles Andy” in the past by the tabloid media here for his liberal use of air travel, which is not connected to this at all, but is one example of some of the bad press he has gotten here over the years.
But for now, Ferguson is the one caught trying to cash in on royal connections, officially severed after her divorce from Prince Andrew, but still very real in terms of her close relationship to Prince Andrew. She has been said to have commented that they are “the happiest divorced couple.”
Ferguson and Prince Andrew still vacation together with their two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie. And she lives on his royal estate, as she has had serious financial problems.
And that is why she said she tried to cash in on connections. Despite the fact that she at one point had a lucrative contract with Weight Watchers and has taken on numerous projects and speaking engagements over the years, she has been in and out of debt.
Said to be extremely generous with friends, she is also seen to live beyond her means. Sarah Ferguson has done a lot of work for charities. Many here believe her heart is in the right place. But her judgment skills are not—even the Duchess herself admitted “a serious lapse in judgment.”