An actress who portrays Sarah Ferguson in a forthcoming TV show about her former dresser has announced that she won’t be promoting the series and will donate her pay to charity following the latest bombshells regarding the Duchess’s links to convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. Natalie Dormer plays the Duchess of York in ITV’s drama, The Lady, which will be released next year and focuses on the life of former royal dresser Jane Andrews, who was convicted of murdering her boyfriend 25 years ago.
In a statement following Fergie’s bombshells, Ms Dormer said that the “new information makes it impossible for me to reconcile my values with Sarah Ferguson’s behaviour, which I believe is inexcusable.” However, according to sources close to the show, the drama’s promotion will go ahead as Ms Dormer, who played Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, is not the main lead of the show—that’s Mia McKenna Bruce, who plays Jane Andrews. A source told the Daily Mail: “Nobody can really understand why Natalie Dormer decided to do this, as everyone knew about Fergie and her links to Epstein already.
“The situation was plain when she took the role – you’d only have to spend 30 seconds on Google. But there you go.”
The Duchess of York sent shockwaves around the world last month, following the disclosure of an email she sent to the paedophile financier in which she described him as a “supreme friend”.
Amid the backlash, several charities severed ties with Fergie, as she is affectionately known, after it emerged that she had apologised to the sex offender in April 2011 after publicly disowning him in an interview.
Following the news, Ms Dormer said in a statement: “Since completing the project, new information has come to light that makes it impossible for me to reconcile my values with Sarah Ferguson’s behaviour, which I believe is inexcusable.
“For that reason, I will not be taking part in the promotion of the project.
“In keeping with my commitment to the wellbeing of children, I have donated my entire salary from this project to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) and the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse.”
The Lady focused on Ms Andrews, who worked for the Duchess for nine years, from 1988 until 1997.
Three years later, she beat her wealthy boyfriend, Tom Cressman, with a cricket bat in his sleep before stabbing him with a kitchen knife at their flat in Fulham, London.
In 2001, she went to trial at the Old Bailey, where she was convicted of murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Ms Andrews spent 14 years in prison before being released on licence in 2015, but she was recalled back in 2018 after claims were made against her for harassing a married man, with police who investigated the case taking no action after finding no evidence. She was re-released in 2019.
ITV’s new crime drama will follow the rise and fall of the Cleethorpes-born royal dresser whose dream life came crashing down when she was convicted of murder.
The series, which was written by Humans and Call the Midwife writer Debbie O’Malley, is set to explore the events in Andrews’ life that led up to her committing murder.
It will show her humble beginnings and will follow the character’s extraordinary ascent into the upper echelons of British society as the Duchess’s trusted dresser.
The Lady boasts an all-star cast. Aside from Mia McKenna-Bruce and Natalie Dormer, it features Outlander’s Ed Speleers asThomas Cressman, Philip Glenister, Claire Skinner, Laura Aikman, Ophelia Lovibond, Mark Stanley, Daniel Ryan, and Sean Teale.
It will air on ITV1 and STV in the UK and be available to stream on ITVX and STV Player.
