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

[Warren]

Defamatory statements relating to the Duke of York have been and will be removed.

Warren
British Forums moderator

[silviaelena]

what a shame!

[Duchessmary]

O M G~this was an obvious set up, and she was idiotic to fall for it. Clearly, she's desperate. I'm speechless.

[Idriel]

I am truly confused. Who on hearth would pay £500,000 to be introduced to Prince Andrews? What could this possibly achieve?

As for Sarah, she's a desperate woman. This latest stunt is at the very edge of legality and it's pretty obvious she had some liquid courage prior to the meeting. I won't be too hard on her because I don't feel comfortable trashing someone who has obviously hit rock-bottom or is getting there really fast.
I don't think she is a bad person, but she is perpetually stuck in her teenage-hood and refuses to face reality.
Sarah dear, your glory days are over. You cannot afford to live a life of luxury and leisure. Get a real job and if you can't, downgrade. Extravagance is only charming in those who can afford to be.

If she doesn't grow up at once, more such public humiliations are on their way. And it could very much end up costing her her family.

[NotAPretender]

Originally Posted by angela

I think this is her lowest point ever, even more than when she was photographed sunbathing topless years ago. These images of her surrounded by bottles of wine, smoking a fag with bundles of cash she was getting for selling her (unsuspecting and trusting) ex-husband down the river is as squalid as it gets. There can be no way back for her now. Prince Philip must feel totally vindicated after all the criticism he got from some people for keeping her away from family occasions for all these years. He obviously knew her better than Prine Andrew did.

I was searching for the right descriptive word, angela: thank you.

There is really no coming back from this, in my opinion.

I know many here cherish the dream of a remarriage between the Duke and Duchess of York. I never thought that was really possible, but now I am certain: it's not. And that, quite frankly, is the least of her worries at this point.

[Melania]

I am shocked and hugely disappointed. I had just started paying attention to Fergie again for her efforts to make it as a strong, professional career woman and for her helping to guide her daughters as they find their niche in the world.

If the Queen is forgiving, I think this might blow over sooner than later; however, if the Queen takes action against Fergie, we will see disgrace far worse than any we saw in the 90's. It will be interesting to see how this effects Prince Andrew.

I have a quick question that I was hoping someone could help me with--what does Prince Andrew do as a trade envoy? I tried to google it, but could find a clear definition.

[michelleq]

Andrew should separate himself from her. She is a woman of 50 trying (in vain) to maintain a luxurious lifestyle at the expense of the Royal Family.

She is untrustworthy, greedy and indiscreet.

There are escorts that have more discretion than her.

[Zonk]

The said thing is I am really not surprised.

As anyone knows who has been on this board for the last couple of years...I am a Fergie supporter and despite this recent upheaval, I will continue to be..I like her. Can't help it.

That notwithstanding, this is the most ridiculous thing she has done in years! I have said it before and it bears repeating, Sarah is really her own worst enemy.

I have never looked down or berated her for using her title, it is after all her name. It allowed her to pay of her huge debts and maintain a lifestyle that she had been accustomed to but let's face it. Its time to grow up.

If you can't afford to live a certain lifestyle than you downgrade. She has been given a lot of opportunities and she should have been a little smarter with her money. I realize that a lot of people lost money in this recent economic turmoil but really. Stop talking about Diana and her settlement. You aren't Diana and Andrew isn't Charles and honestly, you still ended up with a lot more than most divorced woman end up with..and they make it. Its a struggle but they do it.

She and Andrew have raised two succesful and intelligent girls and I suppose we should be thankful for that. I, for one, have always hoped that Andrew and Sarah would remarry after Phillip dies. Its always been assumed that he can't stand her, and honestly this latest episode isn't going to change his mind. But with this, I think any possiblity of a remarriage is off or way off the marker. She is a liability to the BRF and she can't be trusted to act in a manner that is benefitting a member of the BRF or someone who used to be a member of it.

Lord, I can't believe its come to this.

[Idriel]

Dear god I've re-watched the video and I had not realised she actually wipes tears from her face when she receives the payment.

I can't even begin to imagine what kind of financial dire straight she must be in for her to cry tears of happiness at the sight of money. It must be in such amount that she is utterly bankrupt and facing jail time over unpaid debtors.
And this is the same woman who was pictured yesterday partying up at the most expensive hotel of the South of France?
This is truly pathetic, in the etymological sense of the word. I don't see where she goes from there, or even how she got there is the first place. Just very, very sad.

PS: has anyone managed to find out what Andy can do that's worth £500,000? The British taxpayer needs to know: the public coffers are empty so anything he could contribute would come handy.

[rmay286]

Apparently Ian Halperin, the man who predicted Michael Jackson had six months to live six months before he died, has published an article that says Sarah is on a suicide watch and Andrew is about to throw her out of Royal Lodge.
Ian Halperin: Sarah Ferguson Contemplates Suicide - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

I'm like Zonk...I'm not really surprised by these stories, and I still support Sarah. That being said, she is definitely her own worst enemy.

What is sad is that when Sarah had her financial troubles in the 1990, even though she hit rock bottom, she was young enough to bounce back, and still famous enough to market herself successfully in the U.S. Now, though, Sarah is 50, she's no longer well-known by a younger generation, and the global financial situation isn't what it once was. The absolute worst possible thing that could happen to her is that she loses Andrew's emotional and financial support and her room at Royal Lodge. I think that would be the one thing even Sarah wouldn't be able to come back from. Regardless, she is going to have to end the lifestyle she has been used to, but I don't think she knows how to. Her daughters will always support her, but there is only so much they can do for her. Andrew has stood by Sarah through thick and thin. If she loses his support, I'm not sure what will happen to her.

Andrew is going to be asked about this at some point and I will be interested to see what he says.

However, I have to say that at the moment I have a lot less respect for the NoTW journalists than I do for Sarah. It's one thing to find out that someone is doing something wrong and privately expose them to the people directly involved. It's another thing entirely to expose them to the entire world. And the articles go on about Sarah being "greedy" and "shameless." Hmm. I wonder what possible motivations NoTW could have had for creating this story?? Because they did create it. Although Sarah walked right into their trap. What a mess.

[Katrianna]

I can believe it's come to this. Who put herself in this latest financial debacle? Sarah, and instead of forging ahead and working hard to recover as she did before, she's now too lazy and has resorted to finding money in a so-called quick and easy way so she doesn't strain herself from a little work. Sarah's put Andrew in a terrible position and he will probably have to step down from his trade position and now all of his trade work will be suspect even if he is/was completely honest. Andrew needs to distance himself from his ex-wife in all but family matters.
I don't believe Sarah was naive, she knew exactly what she was doing and greed was her downfall. Her credibility is gone.

[Zonk]

I don't think greed was her downfall...I think if Idriel is correct (I have yet to see the video) I think she was desparate.

Andrew will have to distance herself from this. She really needs to slow down on the jet set life. Its apparent she can't afford to support herself in the matter she likes to live.

I also agree with rmay286 to some extent about the NoTw reporter. Truly this is Sarah's fault, no one made her her do this...but surely there are other stories to write about. Why target Sarah. Oh I forgot, because she would be silly enough to fall for it. And really did anyone hold NoTw with any respect. Its not like its the London Telegraph or Evening Standard. Its a tabloid and they went for an easy target who doesn't THINK things out before she acts!

[rmay286]

I actually think that Andrew might have to choose between his trade role and Sarah. In regards to NoTW, what makes me very suspicious is that they claimed a "whistleblower" went to them with the story about Sarah out of concern for Andrew's reputation. Who would go to the News of the World, of all papers, with this story? Actually, what person truly concerned with the reputation of the monarchy would want this story to go public? Sarah completely got herself into this mess, and I don't even think it was because she didn't think this time...the article even said she was suspicious, but her desperation (I also don't feel that in this particular case it was greed) for money got the better of her, which is really sad. But I do think that people used her as well, which has happened before and probably will happen again.

[Idriel]

Originally Posted by rmay286

Apparently Ian Halperin, the man who predicted Michael Jackson had six months to live six months before he died, has published an article that says Sarah is on a suicide watch and Andrew is about to throw her out of Royal Lodge.
Ian Halperin: Sarah Ferguson Contemplates Suicide - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Halperin is a sensationalist nutcase. His Jackson prediction was a fluke (Jackson died because of a medical error (maybe a murder), not of natural causes or illness). He has no credibility. His book on Brad Pitt and Angelina was an absolute joke.

So, I would not believe anything he says but it's clear that he's just making a not so-far-fetched guess considering the situation.
There will be pressure for Andrew to sever ties with her, if not for his sake, then for the Firm's sake. And then, what does she do? She's broke; what are her option? The video shows her desperate enough as it is, I can't imagine what it would be like if her material situation worsen.

However, I have to say that at the moment I have a lot less respect for the NoTW journalists than I do for Sarah. It's one thing to find out that someone is doing something wrong and privately expose them to the people directly involved. It's another thing entirely to expose them to the entire world. And the articles go on about Sarah being "greedy" and "shameless." Hmm. I wonder what possible motivations NoTW could have had for creating this story?? Because they did create it.

Well, the NOTW claims that there were two instances of such deals occurring before their own sting. So Sarah may have created the story after all.

Regardless, I don't find any glee in her shame and I find utterly amusing the lack of self awareness and irony the News displays by calling others greedy and shameless.

[Amelia]

Oh Sarah! I couldn't watch the whole video, it got to the part of her wiping away her tears and I had to stop. She looks so desperate and broken. I always liked Sarah. She seemed so real, so human compared to Diana. I think she cares a great deal for Andrew and I doubt she ever meant to cause any trouble for him, but her situation seems almost hopeless. She can't raise the money to pay her debts like before, times have changed too much for that. The aging ex-wife of Prince William/Harry's uncle is not going to attract a lot of attention today. Most younger people probably don't even know who she is. She was desperate and did a stupid, stupid thing. I pity her really.

[Zonk]

Sorry..rmay286...people use Sarah because she allows herself to be used. She is not new to the scene...she has been tarred and feathered by the British tabloids for the last 25 years. Some of it her fault and some of it theirs.

She gets no pity from me on this one.

[ZaJa]

What's the point of even going after her? She has no power, she's not married to Andrew. It looks like people wanted someone to write about and found an easy target.

[Zonk]

Originally Posted by ZaJa

What's the point of even going after her? She has no power, she's not married to Andrew. It looks like people wanted someone to write about and found an easy target.

I would agree Zaja...its like kicking a dog after its already down. The problem is that Fergie and the image of freeloading Royals still sell. The tabloids (NOTW and the Daily Mail) have a certain kind of clientle and they don't care about the good things that the royals do, or the hard working royals. They will also go for the lowest common denominator story. Look at all the headlines about cheating celebs. Nothing about serious issues (i.e. the war, the economy, a broken government system). That's not the stuff people want to read about. People are suffering and they want to kick someone who they feel is beneath them or because of the status quo has privileges that they are not entitled to it...and use their privileges in a bad light. Its sensationalism journalism at best. If you look at the comments...they are all pretty vulgar and demeaning. Of course, Fergie did herself no favors by falling for this trash..

Let's face it. Fergie as much as love her was not a fit for the BRF there is no other way to put it. The little grey men in the Palace were right. Instead of saying everyone is picking on me, its not my fault, ...she had an opportunity and blew it.

[Bella]

Sad that it's come to this. It really truly is. Even for those of us who are not fans or supporters of Sarah, this is sad. I'm afraid the repurcussions will be drastic. And I agree, there's no sport in continuing to attack someone who's already down.

[jenc]

Originally Posted by rmay286

Apparently Ian Halperin...has published an article that says Sarah is on a suicide watch and Andrew is about to throw her out of Royal Lodge.

I had wondered the same thing about suicide, sadly, when I saw the tape. She is slurring her words and doesn't seem entirely coherent. And for someone who has been in the public eye for 25 years, this is inconceivably stupid. I hope that someone can get her any mental health help that she needs. This is very, very, sad.

Having said that, she is still living off a 14 year-old divorce. Perhaps it would have been a healthier path if, all those years ago, she left public life and found other ways to make a living. All she has done lately is to recycle old stories again and again and, apparently, make bad financial decisions.