Whilst the focus remains firmly fixed on Prince Andrew following his decision to step back from his Royal duties, his former wife Sarah Ferguson has found herself under intense examination after details emerged regarding her connection to Jeffrey Epstein. The Duchess of York – who also relinquished her Royal title last week – has become entangled with the deceased billionaire paedophile in recent months, particularly when a 2011 email surfaced in which she described Epstein as a “supreme friend” despite his conviction on sexual abuse charges.
The incriminating correspondence to Epstein was dispatched merely days after she had publicly condemned him through the press. Following the email’s emergence, a spokesperson for Ferguson claimed she had only sent the message after he “threatened to destroy her family”.
The repercussions of the leaked email proved catastrophic for Sarah, and numerous charities severed their patronage ties with her.
Although Ferguson has withdrawn from public engagements since the most recent Epstein controversy involving Prince Andrew and their mutual loss of titles, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond suggests that whilst Ferguson was previously a beloved public personality, her behaviour is unlikely to receive public absolution.
She told The Mirror: “My impression of her has always been that she’s someone quite hard to dislike. Misguided, yes. Over-enthusiastic, yes. But someone, I thought, with a good heart. Now, however, we know that she lied about her friendship with Epstein, and you do have to question what sort of person would do that. She says she can’t remember the meeting, but Epstein’s emails suggest otherwise.”
Jennie went on to reveal that whilst the Epstein controversy proved the final straw for Sarah’s standing, the Royal expert had always believed her downfall would stem from one particular weakness.
She explained: “I’ve always thought her downfall was her hopeless grasp of money, combined with her desire to have more and more of it. She allowed her debts to spiral on a level few of us would understand.”
Despite years of scandals, Fergie has repeatedly succeeded in winning back public support, yet Jennie suspects there may be no such comeback for the former Duchess on this occasion.
“Somehow she managed to come back, eventually, from the scandal of her topless toe sucking episode in the south of France, and – even more astonishingly – from her attempt to sell access to Andrew for half £1 million. But I don’t think there’s any way back from this,” Jennie declared. “She has shamed herself beyond redemption.”
Looking ahead, with Andrew and Fergie’s residency at the Royal Lodge under scrutiny, Jennie speculates that the divorced pair might withdraw from the UK entirely to evade the constant controversies and help restore the Royal family’s reputation.
She stated: “I think the pressure on Andrew and Sarah to quit Royal Lodge is now so intense that they will eventually leave. My hunch is that they will go into some kind of exile, possibly in Switzerland or the Middle East – where Andrew seems to have many friends, and live out the rest of their lives away from the UK.”
