Sarah, Duchess of York Current Events 17: June 2011-December 2013

[wbenson]

Duchess of York clears debts thanks to 'knight on white charger' Andrew - Telegraph

Sarah Ferguson said last month that she was in danger of going bankrupt, but has now announced that her £2 million debts have been cleared.

Describing her ex-husband as a knight on a "white charger", she said he came to her rescue as she paid off in full the sums she owed following a number of failed business deals.

 

[Mermaid1962]

I suppose this is how she can afford to go on another trip.

Duchess of York clears debts thanks to 'knight on white charger' Andrew - Telegraph

 

[Daisiesforever]

I do find this a sad story. However, again a tale of someone who married a Prince, is now divorced and has to try and make a new life. Fergie will always be Andrews ex-wife just like Chelsey will always be Harry's e-girlfriend. When you become the "ex" it must be difficult to get life back on track... and possibly find a decent job. So yes a sad case but obviously Andrew has a great sense of responsibility towards Fergie. However, one would think that by now Andrew would have helped Fergie to get "on track" without the countless spending. A bail out followed by a luxury holiday is hardly appropriate.

 

[Princess of Durham]

This woman is really "workin it" with all her accolades directed at Andrew. I wonder if he gets that she is trying to reel him back in. As to the lavish lifestyle she lived as a royal .... it didn't happen because of lavish amounts of money, it happened because of lavish amounts of debt. Five million in debts even then??? Sarah doesn't seem to realize that the idea of a lavish lifestyle is that you pay for what you buy......

 

[Meadow]

It is becoming very obvious that Sarah wants back in the Royal Family. If she was happy with the way things are we wouldn't be constantly told the wonderfulness of Andrew as we have of late. Sarah hasn't learn't anything Andrew bailed her out she gets to live in a wonderful house and is going to be on yet another great vacation. It makes you wonder how she paid back a couple of million when she didn't earn anywhere near that! I do wonder about taxes and things. It won't be long and we will hear she is in debt again cause no one seems to be able to refuse her great sums of credit and Andrew rescues her!

 

[NotAPretender]

I completely agree with both of you, Princess of Durham & Meadow.

According to the National Enquirer here, Prince Andrew has been begging mumsy to invite Sarah to events that he and the girls attend, and according to their sources, she's agreed to observe Sarah's behaviour to decide whether to permit this or not. I would guess this is Sarah's first salvo in the battle to get back into the Royal fold.

It's so pathetically obvious. I mean, IMO, so what if she comes back in and attends events? The problem will arise when she starts cashing in - yet again! - on that attendance, to give her that Royal reflective glow.

I was thinking last night that Sarah is like a lottery winner. She hit the jackpot, marrying Andrew, but then figured that the initial "hit" of good fortune was going to be a regular occurrence, which of course it's not. Then she divorced him and hit another jackpot! Money money money! But once again, she mistook the influxes of cash for cash flow, which is an entirely different concept.

She keeps looking for that next jackpot but doesn't realize that it is that, a series of one-time jackpots. Having exhausted her lottery tickets, she's going back to punch the one that started it all.....good ole Andrew, the ultimate "Plan B."

She should just be honest and put out a press release saying "I want back in. Please call 1-900-GET-ROYAL to vote me back in the island. $2.00 per call."

 

[fascinator]

This woman is really "workin it" with all her accolades directed at Andrew. I wonder if he gets that she is trying to reel him back in. As to the lavish lifestyle she lived as a royal .... it didn't happen because of lavish amounts of money, it happened because of lavish amounts of debt. Five million in debts even then??? Sarah doesn't seem to realize that the idea of a lavish lifestyle is that you pay for what you buy......

I wonder why he doesn't require her to stop talking about him and announcing his financial help a condition of his bailouts?

 

[Renata4711]

I'm bored with the Andy-Fergie saga.

 

[Dymphna]

I wonder why he doesn't require her to stop talking about him and announcing his financial help a condition of his bailouts?

That's an excellent question. By not stopping it, or commenting on it, he is implying that what she says is true.

 

[Marie of The Sea]

In the Hello piece she says she 'isn't there enough to shop.' Meaning London and England. She is usually in America or in Europe. So she hires a stylist for Beatrice? What evidence is there of Bea having a brand new sense of fantastic taste? So much Fergie fiction and almost no reality.

 

[Diarist]

Dymphna, I suppose the short answer to your question is that either Prince Andrew or his Advisors have not sought to put in place some form of 'gagging order' when he arranges the payments.........if indeed Prince Andrew is actually making any payments of money himself. There has been much speculation in the British Press [broadsheet as well as tabloid] over the past few months that Andrew has not in fact put his money in his own pocket to pay off the debts, but has 'brokered' the various deals himself - i.e. arranging for his rich friends to pay of Sarah's debts. There has also been suggestions that Sarah's debts have NOT been paid off in full, but that only a proportion [i.e. so many pence in the pound] of the outstanding debts have been paid.

Obviously, I have no way of knowing whether not ANY of these allegations are true. Princess Diana was subject to a binding legal agreement not to talk about the BRF as a condition of the divorce settlement she received. Lord Snowdon did receive a settlement from Princess Margaret, and since he did not discuss any elements of the marriage, perhaps he was also subjected to to a gagging order. I also don't remember Mark Philips talking about his marriage after the divorce from Princess Anne, and he certainly recieved money from the BRF. Although the examples I have just quoted all involved divorces, the principle is still the same - in return for receiving a settlement, any donor [royal or otherwise] can request that the donee [person receiving a settlement, which NB may not be a divorce settlement but could be any payment of money, to settle a debt, on cessation of employment etc] must sign a confidentiality agreement....

Who knows? I have to say, with the greatest of respect, in my very humble opinion I don't always believe everything that Sarah says..........

Just my humble speculation,

Alex

 

[Diarist]

In the Hello piece she says she 'isn't there enough to shop.' Meaning London and England. She is usually in America or in Europe. So she hires a stylist for Beatrice? What evidence is there of Bea having a brand new sense of fantastic taste? So much Fergie fiction and almost no reality.

I haven't read the Hello article, but I have read a report on the article, which says [i.e. the report] that Sarah has apparently said in 'Hello' that the fashion faux pas of Beatrice's wedding 'hat' occurred because she [i.e. Sarah] 'was not able to be around that often because of her travels abroad to help Beatrice with her fashion sense'.

I do not mean to be unkind, and indeed am no fashion-plate myself, but really do not think that Sarah is always best placed to advise on fashion....

Alex

 

[ladongas]

I am undoubtedly in the minority...

...But I would like to see them remarry. They've each had twenty years to partner up with someone else, and as my mother always said, 'anybody who wants to get married can get married.' So no one has been able to capture Andrew's heart, and they remain close.

I've said before that I think Sarah is fragile in many ways, due to things that happened to her in early life (her mother's bolting). And when she married Andrew, she was not allowed to follow him to his foreign ports. I've known many young navy wives (those who could afford it) who were able to spend more time with their husbands.

Yes, she's behaved badly, and yes, she's been unwise in many ways, but so has he. If they love each other, I think they should be given, or they should give it, another chance. Bring her back into the Firm and give her something to do (cataloging the whatevers at wherever).

The two of them will be senior citizens soon enough, and their position together might be far more controllable and dignified than their positions apart. No one wants them to be pathetic oldsters distracting from the Monarch, whomever that may be. And most of us love a happy ending.

 

[Mermaid1962]

This is true. If Andrew still cares enough about her to want to be married to her, they should remarry. I think that people know both of them well enough not to be shocked by any antics that either of them would get up to; and, as they age, they'll be more likely to want to stay in at night.

The two of them will be senior citizens soon enough, and their position together might be far more controllable and dignified than their positions apart. No one wants them to be pathetic oldsters distracting from the Monarch, whomever that may be. And most of us love a happy ending.

 

[Grandma828]

If they remarry, I hope in the consent HM would stipulate a quiet life and no speaking to the press. Sarah could do her own cooking and housework (like Catherine) and that should keep her occupied most of the time.

 

[Diarist]

Interesting points, although I do wonder whether Andrew is really as 'close' to Sarah as she says. I had the privilege of being in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot and saw that Andew was escorting a Miss Judith Hess; and whilst of course I do not know whether it is true or not, the British Press have also linked Andrew with a number of women over the past year or so.......

I am one of those people who don't really think that the fact that Sarah lives at Royal Lodge is really significant - whilst it is not the size of BP, it still has 30 bedrooms and Sarah is reputedly in a guest suite. With Andrew spending his free time (usually) on the golf course, I would not be surprised if he actually does not see so much of Sarah. OK, he will definately be with her - and rightly so - when it is a joint activity with Beatrice and Eugenie, but otherwise we might see Sarah and Andrew together occasionally in public, but I don't necessarily think that that in itself is evidence that they are as close as Sarah would like us to think......

Only my thoughts

Alex

 

[Russophile]

If they remarry, I hope in the consent HM would stipulate a quiet life and no speaking to the press. Sarah could do her own cooking and housework (like Catherine) and that should keep her occupied most of the time.

She would have to learn. I remember getting the book "Dining with the Duchess" the Weight watchers cook book and I wondered what she would cook. Turns out, at that time, Sarah didn't cook at all. They were a compilation of recipes that Weight Wtachers had put together for her.

 

[Grandma828]

Never too old to learn to cook. She won't know unless she tries.

 

[Diarist]

Sarah went to a 'non-academic' school; Cookery was on the curriculum.

I am coming to see more-and-more of this sort of thing from Sarah; she continually 'needs' people [ Andrew, Beatrice, Eugenie...] to 'do' things for her. It is about time that she took responsibility for herself; the continued help from her family is one of the reasons in my opinon for her failure to move on: they are just enabling her to continue with her unsustainable ways...

Even William can cook [athough not so well apparently; but at least he tries....]

Alex

 

[Meadow]

I just don't think the Royal Family won't Sarah back. There is nothing to stop her doing what she did before and get into even greater debt although Andrew would be around more now and whether it's him or his friends paying her debts people will get sick of it and the goodwill will run out. Also people don't give money away for free Sarah was in major debt so I wonder what these people who paid for her to get out of debt are getting in return? What did Andrew have to make these deals? Sarah must be able to cook something she was 26 when she married Andrew and lived in a flat for several years I would think she could do something basic. I find that Sarah want's people to think she is a lot more useless then she is that way no one expects much from her. I don't think we will see her doing her own shopping, cooking and cleaning that is another reason she wants back with Andrew so he can look after her. At the moment even at Royal Lodge she has to pay for some things part of her debt was a chef at Royal Lodge so Andrew isn't covering everything. If they were married he would and she wouldn't have to marry. So far we have Sarah saying how close they are but we don't have Andrew's version and we have seen him with other women throughout the year. If she was let back in I think there would be a lot of rules more then the first time around and she hated the restrictions first time around so I don't see her liking it anymore a second time. It's a moot point really I don't think Prince Phillip would allow it and Charles and Camilla are said not to be fans so I don't see it happening. I doubt Andrew would be willing to give up everything for Sarah but then I doubt Sarah would want that either.

 

[Dymphna]

Excellent points, Diarist. Andrew may not be "paying off her debts" himself--one way or the other.

I didn't realize that Diana was under a gag order after her divorce. I always thought that Sarah's syrupy sweet insistence that she just loves the entire RF was a direct reaction to Diana's controversial interviews before the divorce. Now, I've come to think it is her way of manipulation--of the press, of Andrew...I'm not sure which. Maybe both.

 

[NotAPretender]

Does anyone know when the last time Sarah visited her home in Argentina was?

I was thinking perhaps she might consider heading there, at least for a visit and possibly to make more permanent arrangements for residence.

 

[zepdec]

On July 8th, she said on her twitter that she was going to Argentina and that an ash cloud forced the plane to land somewhere else. I assume she eventually made it there.

 

[Princess of Durham]

Personally I don't think for a minute that Sarah would really live in Argentina, it is too far away from the attention she craves. IF she does (for more than a vacation) I might change my mind about her.

 

[NGalitzine]

Please, please let her relocate there permanently, and please let no one from the press ever darken her door. Please let us get to the point that when someone asks "what ever happened to Sarah Ferguson?" the answer will be "Who?"

 

[Meadow]

I don't see her moving to Argentina fulltime anytime soon. She would miss the attention and invitations to events. It would be the best thing for her to learn how to live within her means and not rely on Andrew and the girls. But that would make too much sense.

 

[Irish Eyes]

Please, please let her relocate there permanently, and please let no one from the press ever darken her door. Please let us get to the point that when someone asks "what ever happended to Sarah Ferguson?" the answer will be "Who?"

Like most people to varying degrees of this forums I have been critical of some of Sarah's antics and absolutely agree she should keep a lower profile, but NGalitzine your dislike for Sarah runs so deep I find it a bit irrational. I'm assuming that she hasn't never hurt you personally. I'm actually not far off thinking you wouldn't be too sorry if she dropped dead in the morning. All that been said your opinion is your honest opinion and your are fully entitled to it, and I sincerely apologise in advance if I have misintrepreted or read too much into your posts.
As Diarist might say I do not wish to offend.

 

[Mirabel]

I don't have much faith in Andrew's judgment, but I don't believe he is fool enough to remarry Sarah.
He's already on the outs with much of his family, according to reports; surely he won't want to exacerbate that.

 

[ladongas]

It's not her- it's us

Whatever any of us choose to say about Sarah, or any royal, we should keep in mind that we are the ones sitting around talking about and commenting on her. And she never, ever thinks about us! Nor has she ever said a word about my weight, or my ex-husband, or my budget, or my dress sense, or my (non-existent) daughters. Thanks, Duchess, for leaving me in peace!

 

[Meadow]

True but we aren't running around to the press and have our own show opening ourselves up to these comments. We haven't tried to sell access to our high profile husbands and profit from it or join a Royal Family where it is no secret your life is on display. If Sarah doesn't want to be talked about she could quietly retire and live a quiet life. Problem is Sarah herself has stated she wants to be a public figure and has no desire to lead a quiet life like you and I. To me she is fair game just like any other public figure who leads their life through the press which she does! The Oprah show is further proof she wants everyone to know everything about her well what she wants us to know that makes you feel sorry for her at least. You are right she doesn't think of us or her daughters or her family or her friends it seems mostly I see Sarah only think about Sarah!