Shady Things About Sarah Ferguson We Can No Longer Ignore

Sarah Ferguson instantly became one of the most famous women in the world when she married the man formerly known as Prince Andrew in 1986. But like many members of her husband's dysfunctional family, the erstwhile Duchess of York has also become infamous thanks to a series of scandals, controversies, and downright incredulous gaffes which have brought the royal institution into disrepute.

In fact, before the extent of her ex-husband's connections to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to light, the woman nicknamed Fergie was considered by many to be the more problematic of the pair, with everything from dodgy business dealings to diplomacy rows putting her on the front pages for all the wrong reasons. Thanks to a series of emails made public by the U.S. Department of Justice which detail her own relationship with Epstein, Ferguson is now arguably facing her biggest media storm to date. Here's a look at 12 of her all-time shadiest moments.

We all now know that the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was hugely unpopular with the royal staff tasked with catering to his every whim. But you might not be aware that his ex-wife wasn't exactly a favorite behind the scenes, either. Indeed, according to several people in the know, Sarah Ferguson appeared to let her privilege go to her head.

Best known as Princess Diana's personal butler, Paul Burrell recalled in his book, "The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana," an incident in which Ferguson refused to comply with normal protocol. "When the men were out stalking, the ladies would meet them on the hills for a picnic lunch," Burrell wrote. "A page would enquire in advance what people wanted to eat and compile a list." For some reason, however, Ferguson didn't play ball, to the exasperation of one staff member who barked, "What does that red-haired mare want for lunch?" This outburst occurred in front of the ladies, as well as Queen Elizabeth II.

The fact that the individual in question wasn't reprimanded suggests that the then-Duchess of York was nowhere near as popular as her Princess of Wales sister-in-law. "Fergie was a newcomer and she had to earn the trust of the staff," Burrell added. "She was far too familiar for her own good." Here's a closer look at Sarah Ferguson's royal life throughout the years.

In 1989, three years after marrying into Britain's most famous family, Sarah Ferguson tried to prove she could become a success in her own right with the publications of "Budgie the Little Helicopter" and "Budgie at Bendick's Point." Perhaps surprisingly, the children's books flew off the shelves as quickly as any tell-all royal biopic, spawning a franchise which included copious amounts of merchandise and even an animated TV adaptation.

The adorable anthropomorphic helicopter even helped Ferguson to pay off the massive debts she'd accumulated by the mid-1990s — said to be in the ballpark of £4 million. In 2020, the former duchess decided to revisit the series with a new aviation tale called "Budgie: Turtle Rescue." "I've never been more proud than today to see my friend Budgie flying to the rescue," she told the Daily Mail.

However, there's still a certain amount of skepticism within the industry as to just how original Ferguson's stories are. Indeed, Budgie bears a suspicious resemblance to "Hector the Helicopter," a character created in the mid-1960s by Arthur W. Baldwin. In fact, the comparisons between the two became so commonplace that Ferguson's publishing company felt compelled to release a statement insisting that any similarities were entirely coincidental.

Sarah Ferguson's questionable business mind came under scrutiny in 1995 when she attached herself to a new nursing home project — intended to be named after her — with businessman Clive Garrad. The pair had reportedly first been introduced to each other at a charity function 18 months previously. Apparently getting on like a house on fire, they decided to share their wealth and status.

The only problem was, Garrad had previously gone bankrupt thanks to a plethora of similar pie-in-the-sky projects, information which Ferguson would surely have been privy to. And so, it was little surprise when the £1.7 million initiative was never completed.

To make matters worse, Garrad was convicted of VAT fraud just a few months after Ferguson finally saw the light and rescinded her backing. "Her voracious lifestyle and tacky friendships have poisoned the royal family," wrote The Independent in 1996. "She has made the monarchy look spongy." Here's a look at several other Sarah Ferguson facts you may not have heard before.

Even when she's attempting to use her privilege for the greater good, Sarah Ferguson can't help but act shady. In 2008, the former Duchess of York teamed up with ITV to make a documentary about the state of Turkish orphanages. However, by recording footage without the official consent, she ended up causing a major diplomatic row.

The oft-controversial Sarah Ferguson had gone undercover while visiting institutions in Istanbul and Ankara alongside her youngest daughter Princess Eugenie for an episode of current affairs program "Tonight" which included images of youngsters — many with their heads shaved and clothed in rags — being confined to their cots and beds. However, a court argued that the show had broken the law by violating the privacy of five kids, in particular, and filed charges which could have resulted in the one-time royal serving decades behind bars.

Per The Guardian, ITV had previously described the documentary as a "valid area of public interest at a time when the U.K. government is endorsing the accession of Turkey into the EU, a process which is conditional in part on Turkey improving its human rights record with children." Ferguson stood by what made it onto the screen, and luckily for her, attempts to extradite her proved to be in vain.

Sarah Ferguson didn't waste any time visiting Jeffrey Epstein following his release from prison for prostituting minors in 2009. In fact, she headed for his Palm Beach pad where he'd been placed under house arrest only five days into his new-found freedom.

According to several emails the U.S. Department of Justice made available to the public in 2026, the former duchess also brought her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, then aged 20 and 19 respectively, along for the reunion. Epstein gladly recalled the encounter two years later in an email with his lawyer on the other side of the Atlantic.

"She was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow," the financier told Paul Tweed (via The Telegraph). "She visited me with [a] policeman sitting at my front desk. She has asked for help with her charities." Apparently, Epstein had his personal chef whip up vegetable lasagna for their lunch. In other correspondence between the pair, it was revealed that the convicted pedophile also tried to arrange for Celina Dubin — the goddaughter he reportedly once wanted to make his teen bride — to hang out with Beatrice and Eugenie.

In one of the many damaging revelations which have emerged about Sarah Ferguson's connection to Jeffrey Epstein, the former described the latter as "the brother I have always wished for" in an email that the U.S. Department of Justice made available to the public in 2026 (via ITV News). The timing of this correspondence only made Ferguson's claim even more damaging.

Indeed, the former royal reportedly sent the message in August 2009, only a few weeks after the disgraced businessman had completed his jail sentence for prostituting minors. The former royal, who'd just enjoyed a lunch date with Epstein and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, also gushed, "I have never been more touched by a friends [sic] kindness than your compliment to me infront [sic] of my girls."

Ferguson has also been just as effusive when Epstein was in jail, sending him an email in which she hailed him as a "legend" and "my dear spectacular and special friend" (via The Guardian). As these latest findings came to light, executives decided to shut down the one-time Duchess of York's charity, Sarah's Trust, while she was also dropped from numerous other initiatives including the children's hospice Julia's House, the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, and the Teenage Cancer Trust. 

Just a year after sparking an international diplomatic row with her covert filming of Turkish orphanages, the oft-tragic Sarah Ferguson once again courted controversy with another ITV documentary, this time a little closer to home. Indeed, in 2009, the former royal fronted "The Duchess on the Estate," an insight into a deprived, working-class Manchester area that she hoped to be a positive influence on.

"I inspire people to get on and do things by rallying the troops," Ferguson told the cameras (via The Guardian) in a somewhat jolly-hockey-sticks demeanor. "I'm an enabler. What saved people after the Blitz was a cup of tea and a biscuit." Consequently, the locals didn't take kindly to being lectured by someone with no prior experience or understanding of living in poverty, with many also claiming that the one-time royal had exaggerated the levels of criminality in the community, too.

The press were arguably even more scathing, with The Telegraph describing the show as a "a cynical, patronizing stunt, and one that was always going to end badly." In response to the universally negative feedback, Ferguson told BBC Radio 5 (via the Mirror), "Do you know what? Perhaps this will be the lesson to me — to never do another documentary in this country."

Although far from the most damaging statement Sarah Ferguson sent to Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction for prostituting minors, the former duchess' response in one particular email from March 2010 was certainly the most cringeworthy. And it no doubt left her youngest daughter dying of embarrassment.

When asked whether she'd be paying Epstein a visit in the Big Apple any time soon, Ferguson responded, "Not sure yet. Just waiting for Eugenie to come back from a shagging weekend!!" (via Us Weekly). For those unfamiliar with crude British slang, Ferguson was essentially saying that her daughter was enjoying plenty of bedroom action during the period in question.

If you're wondering who this blatant display of TMI was referring to, Princess Eugenie — who was turning 20 that week — was dating her future husband, Jack Brooksbank, at the time. "Assuming she did indeed write this, how could it not have occurred to a mother that this was a deeply insensitive thing to say to anyone — let alone a man like Epstein?" wrote former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond for The i Paper. "She probably thought it was funny. I very much doubt that her daughter will view it the same way."

Of course, Sarah Ferguson continually found herself in hot water long before the full extent of her connection to Jeffrey Epstein was exposed. None more so than in 2010 when she got caught in a sting operation by the now-defunct British tabloid News of the World.

While meeting with an undercover reporter she believed to be an internationally renowned businessman, Ferguson revealed that she'd be open to arranging access to her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — then serving as a trade envoy representative for the U.K. — in exchange for some cold hard cash. "I can open any door you want, and I will for you," she said (via The Guardian). "Look after me and he'll look after you ... you'll get it back tenfold." Much to her humiliation, the "deal" was captured on camera and posted to the newspaper's website for the world to see.

In a damage-control statement, Ferguson offered an apology for her conduct while also insisting that her ex-husband had no idea about what she'd proposed. "I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused. It is true that my financial situation is under stress however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened." Here's a look at how Sarah Ferguson lost so much money. 

So, why was Sarah Ferguson so in thrall to Jeffrey Epstein, you may wonder? Well, the convicted pedophile's seemingly limitless bank balance may well have had something to do with it judging by the number of times she called on him for financial assistance.

In 2012, it was revealed that Ferguson had accepted £15,000 from Epstein to help pay off debt, a move she later told The Standard was a "gigantic error of judgment." However, Andrew Lownie, author of "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," claimed the former duchess may have been given as much as £2 million over the years from the disgraced financier.

According to correspondence made available to the public by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2026, Ferguson also sought advice on how to avoid bankruptcy from Epstein while he was still behind bars for various sex crimes. In one email (via the BBC), Epstein tells his businessman friend David Stern, "She is a woman with no sense of this whatsoevr [sic]." Passing on a message he received from the one-time royal about her financial situation, Stern tells Epstein, "Don't waste time reading the below, just scroll through it for a flavour of the mess."

If Sarah Ferguson thought she could write her way out of trouble amid the scrutiny over her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, she soon had to think again. Indeed, according to reports, the former royal had desperately tried to secure a book deal worth approximately $2 million at the same time that the U.S. Department of Justice had leaked numerous damaging emails she'd sent to the convicted pedophile. But the publishing industry was having none of it.

"She ended up with a string of rejections and zero response at all in a few cases," an anonymous insider told Express. "It seems no one is remotely interested in being seen to be enabling her to cash in on the Epstein scandal that has torn her own family apart and completely ruined her ex-husband."

If that wasn't humiliating enough, several months earlier, Ferguson had also suffered the indignity of having her latest children's book withdrawn from the release schedules and pulped. "It's an acknowledgment of the inevitable," a source told the Daily Mail (via The Guardian) as another of the former duchess' controversies started to unfold. "No one is going to want to buy it."

Sarah Ferguson didn't exactly endear herself to British taxpayers when the new lifestyle app that they'd essentially paid a seven-figure sum for failed to materialize. The former Duchess of York was an investor in vVoosh that plowed over £1 million. According to the Mirror, the app pledged to give users "the power to Find, Plan, Share, Live, and Remember all the things you love to do — and those you're yet to try." But the company responsible, launched by Ferguson's friend, Manuel Fernandez, was placed into administration before the product made it to market.

vVoosh had, in fact, attracted £9 million of investment — including approximately £50,000 from Ferguson's own firm La Luna — in total over the years before shutting down. According to a report filed by administrators, the cause of the app's failure was a communication breakdown between Fernandez and the directors who'd replaced him following his resignation.

Remarkably, this wasn't the only time in 2025 that Sarah Ferguson, who has hinted that she's totally broke, found herself caught up in a business flop. According to the BBC, one crypto-currency mining company that had paid the former royal nearly £1.4 million to represent also never made it past the development stage, leaving numerous backers out of pocket in the process.