Sarah, Duchess of York: "Cash for Access" - May 2010


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$20,000 a year is not enough for a Pizza........ or a manicure.... nowadays- I would really luv to know if that is true......
 
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Jaya, you are, obviously, a person who has compassion, kindess and sense. The "Royals" and what makes them better than anyone else, aren't any better. They just hide some things with, I am sure, help. Charles is hardly the spirit of virtuousness nor is his present wife. Shake the family tree and a lots of spoiled fruit will fall out. Just as the Lord said, he who is without sin.....
 
THANK YOU SO MUCH JONC93 ! Great job and a great service to people like me who cannot see Oprah !
 
Jaya said:
Forgiveness is separating the folly from the essentiality of the individual.If you have no sympathy; compassion or mercy; for her it is more a commentary about you than her.In a perfect world there are no tyrants who say that another not be seen until their daughters weddings as if they are outcasts.That they be cast out of the Royal Lodge to become homeless;Sarah is not the glass in the window that can and will be broken she is the window frame.............
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If she was plain Sarah Ferguson I would have some sympathy for her, but for Sarah, Duchess of York I have none. She tried to sell access to her ex-husband, a public official in his role as UK Special Trade Representative. She endangered his position for money in her pockets. That I am afraid is unforgivable.
While she may be a good mother I think she is a bad example for her daughters on how to live in the public eye. Sarah Ferguson is free to declare bankruptcy,learn to live within her means and rebuild what is left of her life but Sarah, Duchess of York must disappear from public life for the sake of her daughters and the sake of her ex husband who she claims to care about.
As for her divorce settlement, well Andrew was not personally a wealthy man at the time and there was also supposed to be a lump sum paid at that time to buy her a home (never purchased) in addition to the modest annual payment. She should have chosen a much more modest lifestyle and perhaps resumed her career in publishing instead of trying to live like the royal she no longer was. Since Andrew pays his daighters schools fees & upkeep her only real expenses have been her own.
Like I said earlier , she made a mess of her marriage and now has made of mess out of this part of her life. Don't let her ruin her daughters or Andrew's with her misadventures.
 
By saying she is psychologically damaged I did not at all mean to put her in the same category as Charles Manson; I just meant that she has some serious issues, and could benefit from professional help. I also didn't mean to suggest that she should drop out of sight as a means of punishment; it just might give this whole situation a chance to calm down, which I think would benefit everyone. I have to admit I'm not a fan of Sarah's, but my heart did go out to her watching that interview today. She did seem in a great deal of emotional distress.
 
If she's feeling self-hatred, that sounds like depression at the very least. There will be people who will offer her interviews in order to "set the story straight." I hope that she finds the courage to say "no" and do whatever she needs to do to recover.

murphy's mom said:
By saying she is psychologically damaged I did not at all mean to put her in the same category as Charles Manson; I just meant that she has some serious issues, and could benefit from professional help..
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I believe the terms Oprah used were "spiritually and morally bankrupt". Maybe her next appearance will be on celebrity rehab, seems right up her alley.
 
I know I read some magazine that had a lavish spread a few years ago about SF's Manhattan penthouse co-op. It was a HUGE place, professionally decorated, and she was rather pleased with herself for being so prosperous.

Now I wonder if she ever owned it or did have it and has lost it already? Did anyone else see this?
 
She did not say it was an addiction~spending money, but she admitted living beyond her means. She lost Diana, she lost her mother and father fairly close to one another, and as an orphan myself, it BITES, no matter what age you are.
I would agree with Oprah on Sarah being a spiritually bankrupt person...but I admit I do not get the part when Sarah said the whole thing was initially to help a "friend". What friend???? What is up with that?
Having to move back in with your ex-husband~again~has to be embarassing beyond words, and yet what she said about Andrew being a good man is true. He will never throw her aside because she is the mother of his daughters. However, in my opinion, he is probably furious with her, as is Her Majesty.
I can only wish her good luck, and I think it was brave of her to try and explain.
 
Oh dear, what is the next excuse. Sarah could of had her life in order after her divorce. Money or no money, she is the mother of two princesses and needs to conduct herself with decorum. Sarah should really stop making these excuses.
 
Jaya said:
$20,000 a year is not enough for a Pizza........ or a manicure.... nowadays- I would really luv to know if that is true......
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If this is true about her divorce settlement, then the lawyers for the royal family and the BRF have themselves to thank for a portion of Sarah's problems. Just think a little - how in the world did the BRF expect Sarah to live on $20,000 a year???? At the time of her divorce it seemed as if the BRF and the British public wanted her to go away. A decent settlement allowing her to go away and live quietly would have been a wise decision. Instead she was given next to nothing. What wife in America would accept $20,000 a year to become the ex-wife of the son of the queen of England??? No house?? No property?? No portion of her husband’s pension?? Well then, of course Sarah would have to work and support herself. Of course everything that she does or says is taken note of as she is a public person. No matter what she does for income, she is criticized. Yes she sometimes is her own worst enemy and yes cash for access was AWFUL. But she is, as we all are, children of God and if we can’t forgive her, then we never should never think of asking for forgiveness when we do something awful.
 
She seems to be so broken. I wouldn't be surprised if she's on prescription tranquilizers, because she seems not to have her usual spark. That's okay during a crisis; I'm not judging her for it.
 
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Duchessmary said:
I would agree with Oprah on Sarah being a spiritually bankrupt person...but I admit I do not get the part when Sarah said the whole thing was initially to help a "friend". What friend???? .
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I have a fairly good feeling the "friend" in question here is the friend that Sarah sees everyday in the mirror looking back at her.

I tuned into Oprah this afternoon trying to have an open mind and that went out the window when I saw Sarah's reaction to the video. Talking like that was happening to someone else and before that saying that she hadn't seen the entire thing, but...

I got the distinct impression if Oprah hadn't pressed the issue and shown it to her, Sarah *still* wouldn't have seen it. Because that would have been facing the reality of what happened and she just can't seem to be able to do that.

Then for her to say that what's happened is proof she's a good Mom and helps her Daughters? In what world is what Sarah did a good example of Parenting!?! Certainly not in mine or my Mom's or anyone else that we know.

A pity Sarah didn't listen to the people telling her not to do this interview, because it sure didn't help her one bit and instead made things worse in a way. I've always liked Sarah and have pulled for her, but now...The woman needs help. I also think she hasn't really learned a single thing. Except that she is sorry about one thing and that's getting caught.
 
I don't know if I should feel this way, but after watching Sarah on Oprah, I now feel really sorry for her. Seems like the royal family treated her like a dog. Oh goodness.
 
I recorded Oprah today, and I'm only ten minutes in right now, but it's just odd. I don't understand the third person references. Maybe she hasn't quite owned up to what she did yet.
 
My thoughts with referring to herself as "she" in the video and then later on remarking about the good Sarah and the "dark" Sarah I think it was made me think of someone suffering from MPD. I really expected her to express her thoughts much better also as from reading here so many people have commented on her being a good public speaker. I think she really had problems with trying to get her ideas across.
 
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If she's taking some sort of medication, like tranquilizers, that would make her thinking fuzzy and her speech less articulate. She seemed to be in sort of a fog.
 
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Mermaid1962 said:
If she's taking some sort of medication, like tranquilizers, that would make her thinking fuzzy and her speech less articulate. She seemed to be in sort of a fog.
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I have to agree wholeheartedly with your perception.
Sarah I do agree was not her usual sparkly self....I think the medication theory is credible ... remembering her now she was sort of numbed out of it... but I think she will be ok as soon things die down and everyone else takes a deep breath.Maybe her divorce monies and settlement will be reevaluated so that she can have some dignity. Sarah said that she agreed to a lesser settlement to be in the good graces of the BRF......... I think the BRF should look at this again almost twenty years after the fact etc...
after all Prince Andrew is regarded as the fav of Queen Elizabeth..I hope something good comes of it.[interview]
 
COUNTESS said:
Jaya, you are, obviously, a person who has compassion, kindess and sense. The "Royals" and what makes them better than anyone else, aren't any better. They just hide some things with, I am sure, help. Charles is hardly the spirit of virtuousness nor is his present wife. Shake the family tree and a lots of spoiled fruit will fall out. Just as the Lord said, he who is without sin.....
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You are very kind to think so...
I do not think that being married into the The BRF can be the easiest thing in the world.. We are seeing that with Sarah and her settlement monies...monies to leave her in penury... if the sum quoted is the actual one.....
 
Not to mention the fact that within a couple of months of the marriage her husband started being absent for long periods of time, she was in a strange environment with her in-laws and no family of her own easily accessible e.g. mother in Argentina and sister in Australia and then the press and the public turned on her and made her into the 'bad' one when compared to the sainted Diana.

I think by the end on 1986 her self-esteem dropped and has never fully recovered and the vitriole poured on her by the public at every turn just won't help.
 
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Are people still going on about her divorce settlement? Jeez, LET IT GO.

Living by 'royal standards' isn't a question of money, anyway.

Royals live in the lap of luxury as a windfall of their function.
Andrew, while not a wealthy man for most of his life, always lived in grand houses, had servants, traveled first class, received V.I.P. treatment wherever he went, had security and people bowing and scrapping to him.
This was a result, not of him having deep pockets, but of him being a royal.
It's a position that comes with much constraints and also enviable status and lots of tax-payer funded perks. Even a wealthy woman such as the Queen lives beyond her means in a way (what with access to the most desirable real estate in Great Britain and the most fabulous jewels in the World).
The royal life comes from being a royal and Sarah lost any right to that life once she stopped being a royal. If she wants to re-create an ersatz, she should make her own fortune or marry a billionaire.

Also, to the people asserting that infidelity is 'on par' when a husband is away (serving his country, no less), well hopefully none of you are engaged in matrimony.
Loneliness can be cured by friendships (and I assume if you can get intimate enough with strangers to have sex with them, you can get intimate enough to be friends with them). As for answering physical urges, there are devices on the market much capable of taking care of that, and no breaking of vows involved.
 
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None of the reviews I've seen have been kind to her after this interview, I think she had more sympathy before she did it!
 
Thank you Zemba, I am very keen on knowing what effect this program will have !
 
I wasn't able to watch the show, but it sounds like Sarah didn't really do herself any favours by doing the interview. From the clips I saw, she was very vague and convoluted and didn't really sound like herself. She also didn't seem like herself in the News of the World video, but in a different way. There has to be more going on in Sarah's life, and more details to that sting, that we're just not getting right now. The News of the World said she had done this before, but then on Oprah Sarah apparently denied that.

Judging from the reaction I've seen, I don't think she's going to be able to "reinvent" herself in the U.S. this time. Some people might feel sympathy for Sarah, but that doesn't equate to business opportunities. Sarah doesn't seem to know what she is doing right now, and I think she's past her "sell-by" date as an ex-royal.

I just have to ask, though--I don't watch Oprah, but was it really necessary to call Sarah "spiritually and morally bankrupt"?

Also, regarding the divorce settlement--Americans seem to think that the Queen has endless personal wealth that she can just dispose of and that Sarah is entitled to some of that. I don't think Americans realize that a lot of the Queen's wealth actually comes from possessions and heirlooms that she would have to sell to get the money. And she's accountable to the taxpayer. She's not a celebrity whose money is her own to do what she likes with. Anyway, Sarah was in debt before she divorced, when she actually had access the royal wealth that she supposedly needs to maintain her status. So how would a bigger divorce settlement have guaranteed that she wouldn't have gotten into debt again? It seems that Sarah has been avoiding facing the reality of her financial situation for a long time.
 
I really feel for her, I don't want to add anything more.
 
After seeing some clips and reading the interview excerpts posted here, I do not think Sarah benefited from doing Oprah. This reference to herself in the third person was truly bizarre and her rationale for taking and asking for money (drink, grief, money woes) makes Sarah seem more pitiable but not more sympathetic. I have seen many clients, both criminal and civil, who will rationalize their actions until the cows come home and they never realize how ludicrous their protestations are. I think Sarah is in the same boat.
 
rmay286 said:
Americans seem to think that the Queen has endless personal wealth that she can just dispose of and that Sarah is entitled to some of that. I don't think Americans realize that a lot of the Queen's wealth actually comes from possessions and heirlooms that she would have to sell to get the money.
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This is very true.
The majority of the Queen's vast fortune is in the form of real estate, art (the first private collection in the world) and jewelry.

The big problem with that is that much of what can be called her private possessions (i.e. separate from the Crown) is so tightly linked to the history of the UK that, even if she wanted to, she couldn't do away with them as she please.
Also, when many highly prestigious works of art or properties enter the market at the same time, it causes a slump and fall in prices, so the appraised value of her possessions might just be much higher than their actual market value if she were to have a 'garage sell'.

The Queen may be said to worth hundreds of millions and live the lifestyle of a billionaire, but in term of ready cash, she isn't anywhere near that.
 
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