Options for Sarah to recover from the 'Cash for Access' scandal


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Status
Not open for further replies.
All that while being nearly bankrupt. I guess she forgot to tell Oprah about all that. Seems Sarah is an expert at getting others to pay her bills and boy does this woman like a free holiday! I wonder if these people would still lineup if she could no longer use her title and wasn't still living in Andrews house. I mean honestly what person would want to do business with her?
 
XeniaCasaraghi said:
How about she starts out by just shutting the heck up!
Click to expand...
That might just happen, after reading Diarist's speculations which are quite well-thought out and logical, btw, I don't believe that Sarah will ever recover from The cash for Access scandal, at least not to where she was after the divorce.
 
What I would really like to see over the next months is a switch from the focus being on Sarah vacationing, Sarah shopping, Sarah doing interviews and Sarah and her daughters to seeing Sarah's focus perhaps on Children in Crisis which is a charity that she has been very involved with.

Perhaps if those kind of stories were to make the papers and people see that she's doing something worthwhile, it would do wonders not only for her own self esteem but boost a more positive image for Sarah. It just seems that the more she focuses on herself, the worse things get.
 
Osipi said:
What I would really like to see over the next months is a switch from the focus being on Sarah vacationing, Sarah shopping, Sarah doing interviews and Sarah and her daughters to seeing Sarah's focus perhaps on Children in Crisis which is a charity that she has been very involved with.

Perhaps if those kind of stories were to make the papers and people see that she's doing something worthwhile, it would do wonders not only for her own self esteem but boost a more positive image for Sarah. It just seems that the more she focuses on herself, the worse things get.
Click to expand...

Osipi that sounds likes very good and sound advice to me.
IMO if Sarah is to have any chance of turning things around then she has to be scandal free during the Queen's Jubilee Year. At the moment she is reported to be debt free and unless she decides to/or is forced to take on the financial pressure of buying/renting and running a house, then she should able to devote more time to her charities and not have to accept everything that is on offer commercially (which I think we have noticed can lead to all sorts of trouble). There is probably very little she can do or say at the moment that we curry any favour with the RF but keeping a lower profile and staying out of trouble next year might be something that would be noticed and appreciated. On top of that as you say she might even get a positive headline or two. To be honest I would love to see her do something for Somalia, and I do think the situation there is something she could get passionate and determined about.
 
Osipi said:
What I would really like to see over the next months is a switch from the focus being on Sarah vacationing, Sarah shopping, Sarah doing interviews and Sarah and her daughters to seeing Sarah's focus perhaps on Children in Crisis which is a charity that she has been very involved with.

Perhaps if those kind of stories were to make the papers and people see that she's doing something worthwhile, it would do wonders not only for her own self esteem but boost a more positive image for Sarah. It just seems that the more she focuses on herself, the worse things get.
Click to expand...

I understand where you are coming from and it would be wonderful for Sarah to become involved again with charities. Sarah is a gifted speaker, but unfortunately, you can't believe anything she says now. You are known by the company that you keep. Sarah has acquired a reputation for being both unethical and dishonest. Any charity that is involved with her, takes the risk of being tarred with the same brush.
 
kakieanne said:
I understand where you are coming from and it would be wonderful for Sarah to become involved again with charities. Sarah is a gifted speaker, but unfortunately, you can't believe anything she says now. You are known by the company that you keep. Sarah has acquired a reputation for being both unethical and dishonest. Any charity that is involved with her, takes the risk of being tarred with the same brush.
Click to expand...

That's the main reason I mentioned Children in Crisis. I did look at their web site to verify that she had actually started this charity (which I believe I have read a few times) and there really isn't any mention of her at all on the site. However, IIRC, she was shown at a benefit for CinC during her last episode of Finding Sarah so she's still been involved with them recently. And... its the charity that the proceeds from Beatrice's hat went to.

It would do her well to not have the public focused so much on her antics and woes and foibles for a while.
 
Agree completely. I think that it would be good for her to focus on others' troubles for awhile.:flowers:

Osipi said:
It would do her well to not have the public focused so much on her antics and woes and foibles for a while.
Click to expand...
 
While talking about the many charities that Sarah has had decided that she would become an Olympic rider. When she found that Irish journalists were waiting at the airport she became very upset and said to Allan Starkie (His book "Fergie her Secret Life" Chapter 9. - she said to Starkie who was accompanying her "We can't be seen to be coming here for a riding lesson. We've got to come up with another reason." After a few moments ............she called the Motor Neurone Disease Foundation (of which she was patron) and said: "Hi, this is Sarah, I'd like you to do me a favour. In the next hour could you find me the name of someone who's been newly diagnosed with the disease, somewhere around Cork?"
I am quoting Starkie who was actually with her. It seems she found a name and went to visit and so had a very good excuse for visiting Cork. I am afraid that when all the good work she has done for charities is mentioned I find this incident comes to mind. Starkie didn't have a happy ending to his own story but when he left the Army his official record is said to have described him as "one of the US Army's finest officers".
 
expat said:
While talking about the many charities that Sarah has had decided that she would become an Olympic rider. When she found that Irish journalists were waiting at the airport she became very upset and said to Allan Starkie (His book "Fergie her Secret Life" Chapter 9. - she said to Starkie who was accompanying her "We can't be seen to be coming here for a riding lesson. We've got to come up with another reason." After a few moments ............she called the Motor Neurone Disease Foundation (of which she was patron) and said: "Hi, this is Sarah, I'd like you to do me a favour. In the next hour could you find me the name of someone who's been newly diagnosed with the disease, somewhere around Cork?"
I am quoting Starkie who was actually with her. It seems she found a name and went to visit and so had a very good excuse for visiting Cork. I am afraid that when all the good work she has done for charities is mentioned I find this incident comes to mind. Starkie didn't have a happy ending to his own story but when he left the Army his official record is said to have described him as "one of the US Army's finest officers".
Click to expand...

This might be all well and true but if we really dig (and I did a bit of it.... still gotta clean my nails) we can find things for the positive and good that she's done too. This story really made headlines with Fergie perhaps doing something "undercover" and to be honest, this is the kind of stuff I'd really like to see her doing again. Getting involved and being passionate again.

This was what.... 2-3 years ago?

Undercover Film: Sarah Ferguson defends Turkish orphanage expose - Nachrichten English-News - WELT ONLINE
 
Well I don't think that embarassing the British Government was a good thing to do, I would prefer her to do her charity work without making documentaries (was she paid for this or was it just her expenses?) and in her own country.
As to the headlines, of course Sarah would defend what she did.
My problem with her was that she was never very passionate about her charity work, she sounded passionate as I think she is a gifted speaker and can convince people of her sincerity with ease. Starkey was with her and saw her work and I prefer the opinion of someone who was actually involved with what she did and didn't do.
I hope you don't get your wish and that Fergie will not embarass her country by doing this so called "undercover" stuff.
 
According to the Children in Crisis website Sarah was the Founder and is Life President Our Founder | Children in Crisis Children in Crisis was founded in 1993 by Sarah, Duchess of York (who remains the Life President) with the support of two current trustees: Grahame Harding and Paul Szkiler. Over the years, Children in Crisis has grown to help thousands of children annually in 5 countries around the world.
 
expat said:
I hope you don't get your wish and that Fergie will not embarass her country by doing this so called "undercover" stuff.
Click to expand...

Actually my wish is for her to be passionate about something again that doesn't focus just on her. As you said, she's a good public speaker and could really put that to good use. :flowers:

Iluvbertie said:
According to the Children in Crisis website Sarah was the Founder and is Life President Our Founder | Children in Crisis Children in Crisis was founded in 1993 by Sarah, Duchess of York (who remains the Life President) with the support of two current trustees: Grahame Harding and Paul Szkiler. Over the years, Children in Crisis has grown to help thousands of children annually in 5 countries around the world.
Click to expand...

Thanks for finding what I was looking for. Guess I didn't get my nails dirty enough eh?

My entire point is that this being Sarah's current events, is that she could be doing some fantastic things and making a difference if she set her mind to it.
 
There really is no recovering for Sarah to ever go back to the cache she had prior to the News of the World sting.

And I say that as someone who has always been a Sarah fan and still am. Certainly, I see her many, deep faults and the recklessness and stupidity that have driven her to very desperate, foolish and disloyal things. I also am disappointed in her stoic unwillingness to admit fault and fess up to the whole truth about the Fake Sheik. We all saw it, we all know the truth. Had Sarah owned up to it, admitted she was flat broke, a moron and a disloyal ex-wife whose ex-husband still miraculously stands by, I dare say she could have recovered. Many people would have said "There's got to be SOMETHING good about her"...but that didn't happen and so here she is.

All I can hope is that "Finding Sarah" allowed her to sort out her finances and that the reported 100,000 GBP a year income her rep claims she makes is from investments run by the astute Suze Orman or Prince Andrew's office. I hope Sarah continues to write, for she does have some talent in that regard, in whatever genre she chooses and continues to do speaking engagements from whoever will hire her. I also hope she continues on with Children in Crisis.

I also hope that she quiets down, slinks into the background a little bit and develops a sense of dignity through silence. I'm not saying she can't lead a somewhat public life, but I want her to relax a bit and not be driven to make herself "happen" anymore...those days are over. Diana's been dead for 14 years, William is married, her daughters are grown women...the monarchy has moved on without her, she isn't relevant anymore and I do get the sense that she is aware of that now, at least to some degree.

I hope she continues to live in Royal Lodge and gets to live happily ever after with Andrew in the way that seems to suit the both of them.
 
I can agree with everything you've said, Lord Royal. I've never been a "fan" of Sarah's, but neither have I loathed her. My attitude over the years has been disappointment with the way her marriage ended and some of the things she's done since. It would be great if Sarah could realistically see herself for who she is: someone who is no longer Royal but who is also neither a "waste of space" or a "nobody." Like you, I wish that she would have come clean about the access-to-Andrew business when it first came out and not taken a road of denial and self-pity.
 
Last edited:
She would have to have a considerable portfolio to generate 100,000 pounds in investment income so I doubt that is the source of the money......unless she is getting money perhaps from her daughters trust funds.
 
Also while that is a lot for most of us for Sarah it won't be enough unless she cuts down the lifestyle she is so fond of. And so far she hasn't done that!
 
Wasn't Sarah spending too much when she was married? And that was over 20yrs ago? Clearly the woman just refuses to cut back on her expenses and never will.
 
I wonder if we are focused on the "wrong" thing here...and this just occurred to me.

We here think in terms of Sarah "recovering," as in, she gets back to a life as she had before, where she had public appearances which were somewhat meaningful, does not appear in the newspapers with verified stories of fresh improprieties, and stops stiffing people financially. We mean taking responsibility for herself.

What if - Sarah's definition of "recovery" would mean just living as she has always lived, only not paying for it? That the Finding Sarah series was not any meaningful journey into herself, but merely a way to keep her name out there so that the various forms of Eurotrash keep inviting her to events and paying her freight?

For her, maybe that is recovering from the Cash for Access. To be able to get invited to parties and get attention and still be seen as something of an accretive name on an invitation list, rather than someone to be avoided. That might be all that she wanted to accomplish. That, and stay housed, fed, and kept in beverages at Andrew's expense.
 
NotAPretender said:
What if - Sarah's definition of "recovery" would mean just living as she has always lived, only not paying for it? That the Finding Sarah series was not any meaningful journey into herself, but merely a way to keep her name out there so that the various forms of Eurotrash keep inviting her to events and paying her freight?

For her, maybe that is recovering from the Cash for Access. To be able to get invited to parties and get attention and still be seen as something of an accretive name on an invitation list, rather than someone to be avoided. That might be all that she wanted to accomplish. That, and stay housed, fed, and kept in beverages at Andrew's expense.
Click to expand...

Good point....I had not thought of it that way. If that is the case, Sarah needs to realize that she has not and will not succeed in a comeback if she does not adhere to the public's definition of recovery by first taking responsibility for her actions and adjusting her lifestyle to match her income.

I am very disappointed in Sarah and do not trust her, even in regards to charity work. However, I hope that she does realize that a quiet, not-so-public life is what would be better for her over the next few years. Maybe then people would learn to trust her again. Maybe.

Amy :flowers:
 
In my very humble opinion,The real problem now, as I understand it, is Not just the Fake Sheikh cash for access scandal. It's not even Sarah's greed / trading on the Royal Family connections etc.

The real problem that Sarah now faces, and which in my humble opinion, will prevent her 'recovering' i.e. taking on a prominent role, being able to support herself, being seen as an asset rather than , at times, a public disgrace, is that her opportunity to do so is all now gone. And not just because of Sarah's own failings...

The hurdle which Sarah is now facing - and which I perceive as insurmountable - is this: she is past her sell-by date. Even if we discount all the Sheikh/ spending / greed / tv series and interviews etc and pretend they did not exist / had not happened etc, Sarah will no longer ever be 'a leading player' in the BRF. Since her split from Andrew, Sarah has milked her once-royal status for years and now I think that the real reason that she will not be able to continue to do this, is because a generation has passed, and the BRF has moved on.

In support of my argument, I am looking back to when I was very young. My parents went to Royal Ascot, they went to Royal Garden Parties and other Royal events. My close female relatives had all been presented at Court and some of the male relatives had been to Levees as well. We were what is sometimes known as a 'Queen and Country' family; in other words, I was exposed to a family where there was quite an interest in Royalty. And for this reason, even though I was very young at the time, I can clearly remember the HUGE royal interest in those days, which was focused obviously on the Queen and Prince Philip and their family, but also on Princess Alexandra, and the Duchess of Kent. Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent were the nearest we had at that time to 'glamour and beauty' and the papers used to concentrate on their clothes and their beauty [Princess Alexandra was perhaps not as physcially beautiful as the Duchess of Kent, and the way that the papers used to deal with this was to praise her wonderful complexion. [this, historically, has always been the way of dealing with the BRF's lack of convention beauty!]

The Royal 'heartthrob' of that period was Prince William [of Gloucester]. He was academically gifted, charming and sporty - and he was a pilot. Girls swooned over him; he had a sort-of 'James Bond' image. His younger brother Richard was less prominent but still regarded in Society circles as a 'catch'. Prince Michael was also regarded as something of a 'catch'. He looked handsome in military uniform and was also the focus of much admiring coverage in the middle market women's magazines: He regularly featured in lists of the most eligible men of the time, along with Prince William.

And now look what has happened: the hand of time has moved on. Prince William of course died in a tragic aircrash and I doubt that many young people - even those with more than just a passing interest in Royalty -have even heard of him. Nowadays, Prince Michael almost seems a 'background figure' and in the shadow of his apparently-pushy wife. Princess Alexandra is a stalwart of the BRF, but I believe that if she walked down Bond Street, few people would recognise her. The Duchess of Kent, hugely popular once as both a beauty and a compassionate soul, has largely retired from public life. Yet these royals once enjoyed huge media coverage.

And the reason they are no longer the focus of everything is quite simple: the BRF has moved on. It is the younger generation who now is 'in focus': William [and his wife] and Harry are the 'glamour royals'. Look at Zara. There is of course always going to be interest in Charles [as heir to the throne] but it is the new generation that stands out.

I have this theory that UNLESS you are the heir to the throne and his wife [or a surviving Royal Consort in the mould of the Queen Mother], any other royal seems to have a maximum of 25 years in the Royal Spotlight before it is time to move on.

This, to me, is Sarah's REAL problem. Even if she was still married to Andrew and the last quarter century of scandals had not happened, it would basically be 'over' for Sarah. She cannot really 'recover' her position. As with Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent, it is time to move from centre stage and away from the spotlights so that the new stars are the focus.

Which is why I feel that Sarah has no alternative but to bow out from the spotlight and try to live a much lower-profile life. The challenge is how this will be achieved financially.

Only my thoughts and not meant to offend.
 
Last edited:
Diarist said:
In my very humble opinion,The real problem now, as I understand it, is Not just the Fake Sheikh cash for access scandal. It's not even Sarah's greed / trading on the Royal Family connections etc.

The real problem that Sarah now faces, and which in my humble opinion, will prevent her 'recovering' i.e. taking on a prominent role, being able to support herself, being seen as an asset rather than , at times, a public disgrace, is all now gone. And not just because of Sarah's own failings...

The hurdle which Sarah is now facing - and which I perceive as insurmountable - is this: she is past her sell-by date. Even if we discount all the Sheik/ spending / greed / tv series and interviews etc and pretend they did not exist / had not happened, Sarah will no longer ever be 'a leading player' in the BRF. Since her split from Andrew, Sarah has milked her once-royal status for years and now I think that the real reason that she will not be able to do this, is because a generation has passed, and the BRF has moved on.

In support of my argument, I am looking back to when I was very young. My parents went to Royal Ascot, they went to Royal Garden Parties and other Royal events. My close female relatives had all been presented at Court and some of the male relatives had been to Levees as well. We were what is sometimes known as a 'Queen and Country' family; in other words, I was exposed to a family where there was quite an interest in Royalty. And for this reason, even though I was very young at the time, I can clearly remember the HUGE royal interest in that time was focused obviously on the Queen and Prince Philip and their family, but also on Princess Alexandra, and the Duchess of Kent. Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent were the nearest we had at that time to 'glamour and beauty' and the papers used to concentrate on their clothes and their beauty [Princess Alexandra was perhaps not as physcially beautiful as the Duchess of Kent, and the way that the papers used to deal with this was to praise her wonderful complexion. (this, historically, has always been the way of dealing with the BRF's lack of convention beauty!)]

The Royal 'heartthrob' of that period was Prince William [of Gloucester]. He was academically gifted, charming and sporty - and he was a pilot. Girls swooned over him; he had a sort-of 'James Bond' image. His younger brother Richard was less prominent. Prince Michael was also regarded as something of a 'catch'. He looked handsome in military uniform and was also the focus of much admiring coverage in the middle market women's magazines: He regularly featured in lists of the most eligible men of the time, along with Prince William.

And now look what has happened: the hand of time has moved on. Prince William of course died in a tragic aircrash and I doubt that many young people -even those with a passing interest in Royalty -have even heard of him. Nowadays, Prince Michael almost seems a 'background figure' and in the shadow of his apparently-pushy wife. Princess Alexandra is a stalwart of the BRF, but I believe that if she walked down Bond Street, few people would recognise her. The Duchess of Kent, hugely popular once as both a beauty and a compassionate soul, has largely retired from public life. Yet these royals once enjoyed huge media coverage.

And the reason they are no longer the focus of everything is quite simple: the BRF has moved on. It is the younger generation who now is 'in focus': William [and his wife] and Harry are the 'glamour royals'. Look at Zara. There is of course always going to be interest in Charles [as heir to the throne] but it is the new generation who stand out.

I have this theory that UNLESS you are the heir to the throne and his wife [or a surviving Royal Consort in the mould of the Queen Mother], any other royal seems to have a maximum of 25 years in the Royal Spotlight before it is time to move on.

This, to me, is Sarah's REAL problem. Even if she was still married to Andrew and the last quarter century of scandals had not happened, it would basically be 'over' for Sarah. She cannot really 'recover' her position. As with Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent, it is time to move from centre stage and away from the spotlights so that the new stars are the focus.

Which is why I feel that Sarah has no alternative but to bow out from the spotlight and try to live a much lower-profile life. The challenge is how this will be achieved financially.

Only my thoughts and not meant to offend.
Click to expand...

Alex, I think your post is by far the biggest piece of wisdom on this thread. It called to mind the part in the OWN series where Dr. Phil basically told Sarah that she might not be cut out for public life and her reaction was so adamant that she wanted to be in public life, she wanted to be a public figure. Maybe all of these missteps have been an "acting-out" of the realisation that unless she does something desperate, Sarah is not going to be in the news anymore. Like the old saying, any publicity is good publicity, and this might be her sub-conscious attitude. I'm still amazed she ever divorced Andrew, looking back I can't imagine how she ever thought she could function out of the BRF given the way she wants to live. So basically, in your opinion - there is nothing Sarah can do to "relaunch" herself. I think you're right and also that the more she tries to court publicity the lower her reputation will keep sinking. Perhaps in time she might gain a measure of respect if she now lets her daughters lead their own lives and stops tagging along with them as though they were ten years younger than their current ages. IMHO, she also needs to clarify her relationship with Andrew. If they're not going to be a couple, she needs to move out of his home. I don't believe that's beyond his finances and surely the Queen would be happy to see her set up in her own establishment; one with less Royal ties than Royal Lodge. A grace-and-favour house could be a beginning, but again, IMHO - I don't believe Sarah really wants to leave Andrew's home. He is going to be even more of her tie to the BRF as her daughters grow older and especially after they marry. What a mess for poor Andrew; it must be like living in the shadowlands between divorce and marriage....
 
I completely agree with th above two posts. To be honest NO, or very few women, maintain the same status they enjoyed in their 20s. Sarah is 50+ and doesn't seem to get it. Her only real attribute was that she was married to Andrew and she messed up big time. To ever think that she could maintain the same cache is completely delusional on her part. Even in her "prime" there were many people who didn't care for Sarah's "style" and the numbers have only increased over the years with her inappropriate lifestyle/behavior. I'm just hoping that she does not, in the long run, do something very damaging to her daughters.
 
Diarist, that is a brilliant post, utterly brilliant. Second, the other thing is, if Sarah were still married, she would be a public figure still and she would be relevant, as the most senior ranking royal Duchess in the RF. She would still be relevant, maybe not as a glamour figure, but at this point, a well respected memebr of the RF with a solid work history and work in charity. The reason that HM is a legend as a Queen is because she does not try to keep up with the latest fashion and lets her work ethic speak for itself. She lets her personal behavior speak for her. If there were no scandals or divorce, chances are Sarah would still be important, just not as a celebrity figure.

It's too late, as you've said perfectly, since with this recent scandal, normal people have gone ot jail over less, prison even. I think that this is unforgivable, I think worse is to come. If she gets backed into a corner again, financially, she will get all the more desperate and be willing to do heaven knows WHAT to get out again. People are likely also sick (especially in this economy) of watching Sarah throw away all her advantages with both hands. At what point do people lose patience and then brush her aside and hope she goes away?
 
I agree with everything you've said, Diarist - Sarah has passed her sell-by date. I wonder how much she realizes this? She has made some statements recently that she "lost it all" and that Kate and William are the big royal celebrities now, so I think she is starting to catch on; but Sarah has never been one who likes to accept reality.

Although, what Diarist said made me also think of Andrew. If royals have a 25-year heyday, then Andrew has passed his heyday, too.

It's interesting to think that even if Sarah had stayed married to Andrew, she just wouldn't be the celebrity now that she once was.
 
I understand what you mean, Diarist. The people who really remember Sarah at her prime are now the elderly, the baby boomers, and the generation X-ers. Why would younger people be interested in a middle-aged ex-princess who has personal and financial issues? The wealthiest generation--the baby boomers--are aging now, and the generation X-ers likely have less money to spend on whatever Sarah is promoting. Why would a young parent be interested in buying Sarah books, dolls, etc. for their children? I think that a pension (in the broad sense of the term) is the best option for Sarah, and the only person who can afford that is HM and, in future years, the next monarch.
 
I think that the difference with Andrew is that he still has the cachet of being Royal and still has opportunities to do something constructive, whereas Sarah really is a has-been. Unless she finds something that she's good at that she can pursue quietly and re-earn people's respect that way, her working life is pretty much over.


rmay286 said:
Although, what Diarist said made me also think of Andrew. If royals have a 25-year heyday, then Andrew has passed his heyday, too.
Click to expand...
 
AristoCat said:
Diarist, that is a brilliant post, utterly brilliant. Second, the other thing is, if Sarah were still married, she would be a public figure still and she would be relevant, as the most senior ranking royal Duchess in the RF. She would still be relevant, maybe not as a glamour figure, but at this point, a well respected memebr of the RF with a solid work history and work in charity. The reason that HM is a legend as a Queen is because she does not try to keep up with the latest fashion and lets her work ethic speak for itself. She lets her personal behavior speak for her. If there were no scandals or divorce, chances are Sarah would still be important, just not as a celebrity figure.

It's too late, as you've said perfectly, since with this recent scandal, normal people have gone ot jail over less, prison even. I think that this is unforgivable, I think worse is to come. If she gets backed into a corner again, financially, she will get all the more desperate and be willing to do heaven knows WHAT to get out again. People are likely also sick (especially in this economy) of watching Sarah throw away all her advantages with both hands. At what point do people lose patience and then brush her aside and hope she goes away?
Click to expand...

I very well may be wrong, but I do believe the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge would both take precedence over Sarah even if she had remained married to Andrew. I don't know how HM would have set the private order of precedence, but I believe the public order basically follows the line of succession with a few exceptions (such as the Princess Royal).

You're completely right about Gen Xers being the "youngest" (we're all getting old!:lol:) to remember Sarah; I'm often stunned by how many young adults don't even know who Diana was, at least outside of the UK. You made a really great point about the economy being an important factor in how the public perceives Sarah; I'm embarrassed not to have connected the two! But certainly her lifestyle is still far, far out of the reach of most people and as so many are struggling just to make the bills, an old former member of the BRF complaining about being broke while taking vacations to Thailand, skiing in Switzerland, going to Italy for the Petra Ecclestone wedding, etc - is certainly not going to get much public sympathy and understandably so. And that's without even factoring in the cash-for-access fiasco.

I think Sarah is probably feeling some of this, at least sub-consciously. From the pics of Beatrice's graduation, it seems as though she has gained quite a bit of weight since the Oprah show was filmed; I only mention this as Sarah herself has so many times commented on how she eats to comfort herself when she is unhappy, I am absolutely not criticising her for whatever she weighs, just to clarify my post.:flowers:
 
To be honest NO, or very few women, maintain the same status they enjoyed in their 20s.
Click to expand...

I think the above is true only if a woman has been foolish enough to rely on her looks and 'cuteness' at the expense of actual accomplishments. If your goal in life is to be the next Kim Kardashian or similar 'celebrity' then yes, 50 is too late. But there are many women Sarah's age in every walk of life who are enormously successful professionally, (and personally). The difference is those women have worked hard and consistently over decades AT A DEFINED SKILL to get where they are. I capitalized that last part because I think it might get to the heart of Sarah's issue. What, exactly, is her talent or skill? Because she's not going to become respected and financially stable by basing a career just on being Sarah, former member of the British royal family.

The problem is, Sarah is acting like she does want to be the next Kim Kardashian, (hopefully without the sex tape). She wants to get paid to go to parties and benefits and have media and business opportunities fall into her lap. That's not the way it works for most people, though, and I think the sooner she realizes this the sooner she can take stock and figure out a realistic plan.
 
camelot23ca said:
I think the above is true only if a woman has been foolish enough to rely on her looks and 'cuteness' at the expense of actual accomplishments. If your goal in life is to be the next Kim Kardashian or similar 'celebrity' then yes, 50 is too late. But there are many women Sarah's age in every walk of life who are enormously successful professionally, (and personally). The difference is those women have worked hard and consistently over decades AT A DEFINED SKILL to get where they are. I capitalized that last part because I think it might get to the heart of Sarah's issue. What, exactly, is her talent or skill? Because she's not going to become respected and financially stable by basing a career just on being Sarah, former member of the British royal family.

The problem is, Sarah is acting like she does want to be the next Kim Kardashian, (hopefully without the sex tape). She wants to get paid to go to parties and benefits and have media and business opportunities fall into her lap. That's not the way it works for most people, though, and I think the sooner she realizes this the sooner she can take stock and figure out a realistic plan.
Click to expand...

I agree and was not clear in my post. The problem is Sarah depended on all the wrong things, being jolly and "brick" only works for so long even in place of the cuteness factor. Sarah has had no marketable skill to fall back on AND she cannot even rely on being the image of a gracious, working former member of the BRF.
 
very well may be wrong, but I do believe the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge would both take precedence over Sarah even if she had remained married to Andrew. I don't know how HM would have set the private order of precedence, but I believe the public order basically follows the line of succession with a few exceptions (such as the Princess Royal
Click to expand...

Technically Camilla outranks her, but not Kate. "HRH The Duchess of York" bestows more seniority because Sarah is married to the second son of the King and ranks only after that of the Princess of Wales. So quite frankly Sarah would outrank Kate since Kate is the wife of the Heir of the Heir and Sarah would remain so in the event she were still married.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom