Sarah, Duchess of York Current Events 14: February-October 2009

[Warren]

Sarah, Duchess of York current events 13​

commencing February 2009​

Part 12, covering October 2008 to February 2009 can be found here​

* Posts rehashing old events and posts indulging in gratuitous Sarah-bashing will be removed *​

¤​

 

[iceflower]

Pics 16.2.2009

The Duchess Of York, Sarah Ferguson, is a guest on 'The
Alan Titchmarsh Show'. Shown on IV1 England - 16.02.09

** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

 

[Bella]

Thanks, Ice. Do you know what she was talking about?

 

[Skydragon]

From the ITV website

Is there a relationship problem, financial worry, or issue affecting your local area that she could help you with?

Alan Titchmarsh | From the Heart - ITV Lifestyle

 

[Mermaid1962]

Sarah looks great!

The Duchess Of York, Sarah Ferguson, is a guest on 'The
Alan Titchmarsh Show'. Shown on IV1 England - 16.02.09

** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

 

[murphy's mom]

It will be interesting to see how this latest phase of her career turns out. It would be interesting to be able to know exactly what she said on tv.

 

[iceflower]

Pics 24.2.2009

Sarah Ferguson attends the private view of 'The Godfather'
photographs by Steve Schapiro, at the Hamiltons Gallery on
February 24, 2009 in London, England.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 **

 

[Bella]

Thanks, Ice. The leather jacket needs to go but otherwise not too bad. And the big smile is flattering.

I wonder, these events she's photographed at, do you think she attends because a) she's friends w the host/guest-of-honor/another guest? b) she's been invited and would attend the opening of an envelope if it'll keep her name and pic in the papers? c) there's some sort of financial compensation for showing up?

 

[AuroraB]

How about all of the above.

 

[murphy's mom]

I'd have to agree.

 

[Mandy]

Thanks, Ice. The leather jacket needs to go but otherwise not too bad. And the big smile is flattering.

I wonder, these events she's photographed at, do you think she attends because a) she's friends w the host/guest-of-honor/another guest? b) she's been invited and would attend the opening of an envelope if it'll keep her name and pic in the papers? c) there's some sort of financial compensation for showing up?

.
I think Sarah attends these events so that posters can bash, ridicule and mock her and I think she understands that for some people, it is their only source of entertainment.

 

[murphy's mom]

I don't think anyone is bashing, ridiculing, or mocking her. I do, however, think we are stating the obvious; that Sarah likes attention, and she likes to earn money.

 

[kimebear]

I like attention and earning money too, as do a lot of people. It doesn't mean that I also cannot appreciate art in my personal time.

To assume that Sarah cannot even attend a gallery showing without some sort of compensation, if there is no supporting evidence, is irresponsible and just starts the thread back down that long overly treaded road.

If anyone has any credible information that pertains to her presence at the show being anything more than personal enjoyment, we can certainly discuss her motivations then.

 

[Warren]

I'd have to agree.

Why do you have to agree? Or is it easier being a parrot and jumping aboard the "let's have fun bashing Sarah" bandwagon? Do you ask the same questions or apply the same standards when Lady Helen Taylor appears in Hello! or attends a gallery opening or a fashion show? (and she attends way more than Sarah does) If not, why not?

It has been made perfectly clear by the moderators that the gratuitous Sarah-bashing and overall cattiness that had become endemic to previous threads will not be continuing in this thread.

 

[Skydragon]

I wonder, these events she's photographed at, do you think she attends because a) she's friends w the host/guest-of-honor/another guest? b) she's been invited and would attend the opening of an envelope if it'll keep her name and pic in the papers? c) there's some sort of financial compensation for showing up?

The normal procedure is an invitation by the organisers, who perhaps want/need a little publicity boost. On other occasions, she is probably a friend of the exhibitor, organiser, or another guest. Most of these events do not pay for the person to attend, although the food and drinks can be very nice.

I think Sarah goes because it is something she is interested in or it is a normal social event, (apart from the events organised by her sponsers).

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Why do you have to agree? Or is it easier being a parrot and jumping aboard the "let's have fun bashing Sarah" bandwagon? Do you ask the same questions or apply the same standards when Lady Helen Taylor appears in Hello! or attends a gallery opening or a fashion show? (and she attends way more than Sarah does) If not, why not?

It has been made perfectly clear by the moderators that the gratuitous Sarah-bashing and overall cattiness that had become endemic to previous threads will not be continuing in this thread.

Yes, and that's why nothing of this kind has happened or has it? Apart from the comment about the leather jacket (which could really be up for discussion, IMHO) nothing was actually said that constitutes "bashing" in my book. I understand that the mods want this thread to swim more in neutral waters than it did before but I think "cattiness" is something different from what we could read lately.

 

[Menarue]

This thread has become so insipid it will disappear soon. I don´t think it is a secret that Sarah had to make money to pay for her debts and so accepted financially attractive offers for appearances etc, that is not catty, it is common knowledge. I fail to see why Lady Helen Taylor has appeared here, as far as I can see she has led a perfectly blameless life, has not had a whopping great divorce settlement, one of the reasons being she hasn´t been divorced. She is a cousin of the Queen not her ex daughter-in-law and if she wishes to appear and be paid for an article in Hello why not? Actually if Sarah Ferguson wants to do the same why not?

 

[Charlotte1]

This thread has become so insipid it will disappear soon. I don´t think it is a secret that Sarah had to make money to pay for her debts and so accepted financially attractive offers for appearances etc, that is not catty, it is common knowledge. I fail to see why Lady Helen Taylor has appeared here, as far as I can see she has led a perfectly blameless life, has not had a whopping great divorce settlement, one of the reasons being she hasn´t been divorced. She is a cousin of the Queen not her ex daughter-in-law and if she wishes to appear and be paid for an article in Hello why not? Actually if Sarah Ferguson wants to do the same why not?

Sarah paid off her debts 10 years ago, she hasn't been in debt since, so why keep bringing that up. It's not a current event, it's past history. She did not make money by making appearances, she was paid to work and her work involved selling products, first Weight Watchers, and Wedgewood, now she has her own line of homeware products in the US. She also worked hosting TV shows and it seems she wants to continue working in television. ( another current event!) She also gets paid now as a corporate motivational speaker at conventions and gets paid rather large sums of money to do so! Sarah did not get a whopping divorce settlement, ( that was Diana with her 17 million pounds) Sarah got a small settlement ( she even signed over her part of the marital home so when Andrew sold it 2 years ago Sarah got nothing from the sale) Andrew as the younger son had very little money, the divorce settlement that Sarah did get she gave half to her mother to try and save the Argentinian ranch where she lived as it was heavily in debt. ( Sarah still supports it financially).

Lady Helen Taylor does the same kind of PR selling work that Sarah did but doesn't get the same vitriolic criticism. Lady Helen models Armani clothing for photoshoots in Hello, she is paid to appear at various functions in Armani to publicise their clothing and regularly appears in the society pages of Hello. ( Sarah rarely) Lady Helen until a few years ago also had a contract with a designer jewellery company too, as well as Armani and did the same for them, was paid to appear wearing their jewellery.

 

[Menarue]

I still don´t see why you have to put the name of Lady Helen on this thread. She is a very beautiful young lady and I am not all surprised that Armani would like her to publicize their lines.
I have no idea how you know so much about Sarah´s private financial affairs but I will take your word for it. I do know she was heavily in debt and had to pay back her creditors and I am glad that you have told me that she has managed to.
As I said before this is getting a very insipid thread, it is obvious you have great admiration for Sarah, I haven´t, so why not leave it at that, and leave Lady Helen out of it.

 

[Bella]

.
I think Sarah attends these events so that posters can bash, ridicule and mock her and I think she understands that for some people, it is their only source of entertainment.

So I guess that's Item D? If anyone is referring to MY question as bashing, please clarify. I wasn't accusing or assuming, hence the Question. I think people are getting a bit paranoid around here and it's ridiculous. Celebs get PAID to attend events. Sarah is a Celeb. People also attend out of respect/friendship for people involved in the event, which is why I asked about her being friends w different hosts/hostesses and guests-of-honor. Celebs also go to events to be photographed. There's nothing Basing about that, it's a fact. So Move On from assuming that EVERY comment about Sarah is bashing her. Maybe it's time to move on myself and GO elsewhere and leave all those who worship Saint Sarah to themselves. How Stupid of me to think I could actually post a Normal and Legitimate question about Sarah on Sarah A thread! Ciao!

 

[kimebear]

I still don´t see why you have to put the name of Lady Helen on this thread. She is a very beautiful young lady and I am not all surprised that Armani would like her to publicize their lines.

It is fairly obvious that Warren cited Helen Taylor as an example of someone connected to the RF who engages in a similar mode of PR for money that Sarah has. The difference is that Helen is not villified, and hence the double standard.

I have no idea how you know so much about Sarah´s private financial affairs but I will take your word for it. I do know she was heavily in debt and had to pay back her creditors and I am glad that you have told me that she has managed to.

Google is a powerful tool if you are interested in acquiring any information regarding Sarah that is not just defamatory.

As I said before this is getting a very insipid thread, it is obvious you have great admiration for Sarah, I haven´t, so why not leave it at that, and leave Lady Helen out of it.

You don't have to have great admiration for someone to have the ability to comment on their activities without shooting daggers. If you find the thread insipid, you could always restrain yourself from visiting it. If refusing to further allow a person to become virtual target practice without any show of restraint, or indeed any sort of actual proof, makes a thread insipid in your opinion, then that speaks more about you.

So I guess that's Item D? If anyone is referring to MY question as bashing, please clarify. I wasn't accusing or assuming, hence the Question. I think people are getting a bit paranoid around here and it's ridiculous. Celebs get PAID to attend events. Sarah is a Celeb. People also attend out of respect/friendship for people involved in the event, which is why I asked about her being friends w different hosts/hostesses and guests-of-honor. Celebs also go to events to be photographed. There's nothing Basing about that, it's a fact. So Move On from assuming that EVERY comment about Sarah is bashing her. Maybe it's time to move on myself and GO elsewhere and leave all those who worship Saint Sarah to themselves. How Stupid of me to think I could actually post a Normal and Legitimate question about Sarah on Sarah A thread! Ciao!

I think we would have an easier time believing in the sincerity of this statement if part of the question had not been worded

"b) she's been invited and would attend the opening of an envelope if it'll keep her name and pic in the papers?"

There are many other less derrogatory ways of posing this if the question is sincere and not just another attempt to incite. It is not paranoia to see, once again, the start of thread going downhill with all the detractors jumping on the bandwagon and then attempting to mask their words with feigned innocence.

 

[murphy's mom]

All I was doing, Warren, was expressing my opinion. I'm sorry if it doesn't meet your standards of what is acceptable in this forum. I don't think what I said was catty or bashing, and I don't think I was "parroting". If you and others think so, I'm more than happy to stop posting my opinions, as well as stop visiting this thread. I think what you and some of the other moderators are suggesting is close to censorship, and that's sad. Goodbye!

 

[udyusa]

I feel sad to see all of these wonderful posters leaving. Perhaps the Main mods of this board/thread could find it in their heart of hearts to say something nice or at the very least, something positive to these posters? They are much too special to lose, imho.

 

[rmay286]

I don't have a problem with people disliking Sarah, because sometimes you just don't like someone. What bothers me is the way people read motivations into Sarah's actions when there is no basis for these interpretations except people's pre-conceived notions of her. Of course she makes money for public appearances, her speeches and her promotion of products, and of course she gets attention for these activities. But there is absolutely no reason (unless people here are mind-readers!) to assume that money/attention are the only or main motivations for her actions. There's also no actual evidence to assume that her continued closeness to Andrew comes mainly from a desire to ingratiate herself with the royal family. And come to think of it, do we even have any evidence that she, not the media, is the one who constantly emphasizes her royal connections? But all these are claims made time and time again and it's kind of tiring. It's obvious a lot of people don't have a high opinion of Sarah, but the comments about her activities get so unnecessarily repetitive.

Also, ITA that the past does not constantly need to be re-hashed. I have mentioned not being impressed with Charles and Camilla's past behaviour, but I actually feel the same about Sarah's, and I don't think there is anything wrong with being critical of someone's past actions--but that being said, the past is the past! In my own defense, when people start making claims that what Charles and Camilla did in the past really wasn't so bad, I will come in and counter-argue that in fact, I believe they did make some seriously wrong choices. I have no problem with people doing the same in response to anyone who suggests that Sarah's past actions weren't a big deal. But in this thread, everything Sarah does in the present still somehow gets linked back to her past choices. Again, it's really tiring.

For example, Bella, I don't mind most of your posts, but when you write, "she would attend the opening of an envelope if it'll keep her name and pic in the papers?" it sounds so accusatory. I think the question could easily be rephrased to sound a lot milder: for example, "She attends these events because she needs publicity to maintain her lifestyle." That sounds more reasonable than the hyperbole in the first one (saying Sarah would attend the opening of an envelope makes her sound, in addition to grasping, just plain dumb...which is derogatory.)

 

[Emeralds and Opals]

Duchess of York: comparisons with Diana led me to binge eat - Telegraph

 

[Odette]

Once the Duchess wrote that Diana gave her warts when she lent her her shoes. Now she blames her for her weight problems?? If I remember correctly she was, let us say, pleasantly plump when she got engaged to Prince Andrew.
It is unfortunately that after all these years she can still blame others for some of her problems.

 

[udyusa]

Interesting that Sarah seemingly always has an excuse. The sad part is that she still hasn't learned a thing. Worse is that her daughters are now taking after her...

 

[Elspeth]

Apparently she isn't the only person who hasn't learned a thing.

Have you people really not been registering (a) the requests of the forum moderators to stop being so constantly contemptuous of Sarah and (b) the posts from other members who want to discuss Sarah's current events but have been driven away by the constant refrain of "Sarah is soooo terrible, she's always been terrible, after all look at the toe-sucking episode, her charities are just excuses and she doesn't really care about the children, they're just props for photo-ops, after all look at the toe-sucking episode, she's a publicity hound and she's a bad mother, after all look at the toe-sucking episode, she looks like a floozy har har isn't she just awful, well what do you expect from someone who got her toes sucked, she has no dress sense and she looks dreadful I mean just dreadful how can she possibly go out in public looking like that har har, but then she did get her toes sucked, why doesn't she just drop dead because she's such a well you know it rhymes with witch, wink wink har har, well she did get her toes sucked you know."

Several people have already said that this stuff is no better than playground bullying, and Warren warned at the end of the last thread and the beginning of this thread that the discussion was to focus on Sarah's current events and not be used as an excuse for yet more bashing. We're two pages into the thread and we're right back to where we were before Mandy and I intervened last time.

Don't you people really have anything better to do? You know, like actually conducting a sensible discussion about Sarah's actual current events?

Elspeth (disgusted private citizen)

 

[kimebear]

Once the Duchess wrote that Diana gave her warts when she lent her her shoes. Now she blames her for her weight problems?? If I remember correctly she was, let us say, pleasantly plump when she got engaged to Prince Andrew.
It is unfortunately that after all these years she can still blame others for some of her problems.

I'm not sure where in the article Sarah is blaming Diana for her weight problems. She did say that the unfavorable comparisons made in the press upset her so that she binge ate. At worst, the only thing she says about Diana is that she perhaps was not sympathetic to her situation. Where do you see otherwise?

 

[Charlotte1]

I still don´t see why you have to put the name of Lady Helen on this thread. She is a very beautiful young lady and I am not all surprised that Armani would like her to publicize their lines.
I have no idea how you know so much about Sarah´s private financial affairs but I will take your word for it. I do know she was heavily in debt and had to pay back her creditors and I am glad that you have told me that she has managed to.
As I said before this is getting a very insipid thread, it is obvious you have great admiration for Sarah, I haven´t, so why not leave it at that, and leave Lady Helen out of it.

The information about Sarah's finances has been in the public domain for years, especially the fact that she repaid all her debts in 2 and a half years. In the past year there have been articles about Sarah's work as a corporate speaker, including what she is being paid. ( As kimebear said Google is your friend!)

As far as the 'great admiration', don't be so patronising. I don't happen to be a 14 year old fan, I follow royals and have done so for many years. I dislike tremendously ill-informed unfair comments on any royal (or periferal royal such as Sarah.) And I particularly dislike when false information gets transmitted as fact.

The mention of Lady Helen Taylor is a very good example of the hypocrisy that follows the criticism of Sarah. Namely she wants fame, she just does appearances to get noticed, she uses her royal connections to make money, she speaks to the press. Sarah and Helen are the 2 'royals' that the press have the most access to, both give interviews, Helen was chosen to publicise first Calvin Klein, then Bulgari and now Armani thanks to her royal connections. To think otherwise is very naive, there are many attractive Lady so and sos around. Both have made money from their royal connections. Both attend openings of various galleries, fashion shows, Helen models.