What is your opinion about Sarah, Duchess of York?

[Roslyn]

Sarah, Duchess Of York has shown herself to be an inspiration to many with her charity work and weight watchers role. She has had to raise two daughters and ensure they are aware of their priveleged royal position and overall she has done a great job from my perspective. I have met her once and I thought she was lovely. The pay out she got from the royal family was very small and she has had to work to pay off debts , which she has and should be congratulated for doing this.

I agree. I think she's done a fine job getting herself together and paying off her debts and raising her girls. And during this time she's been very circumspect regarding the subject of the RF when interviewed and only said good things about the Queen.

She made mistakes, she accepted the consequences and moved on, apparently with good grace. I admire her and I also like her.

As for her having a "normal" career, and not trading on her Royal links, I doubt she could ever do that. When she was in Sydney several years ago promoting something or other - some time after the divorce - whatever she was doing involved attending a shop in Castlereagh Street near my office, and I was walking by shortly before the time she was to arrive. There were police outside the entrance to the building with walkie-talkies and you could see they were carefully watching passers-by. Some sort of overt security arrangements had been made for her visit, which had been publicised. Maybe they were expecting a crowd to gather.

Her presence is still newsworthy, and attracts attention. Even if Sarah doesn't have police protection any more I suspect she probably has minders of some sort, and the people with whom she does business would be conscious of her security, and I can't imagine her being able to carry on a career quietly and anonymously, simply because of who she is.

The fact remains that she was a member of the RF and her daughters are grandchildren of the Queen of England. Though she is not a member of the RF anymore, she has a permanent connection to the family that sets her apart from everyone else and I don't think she's abusing the connection. I think she's just adapted well to her particular circumstances.

 

[Iain]

I always felt that Sarah is a very genuine person, unlike Diana she was never an actress and what you saw was what you got.

 

[angiep]

I've always like Sarah, myself. I can understand how some people think she wasn't as 'refined' as some of the other royals but I look now at Princess Maxima and she reminds me of Sarah a lot. Maxima makes the facial expressions, she smokes (from what I've heard) and she has somewhat of a 'party' image but she gets away with it. So I think a lot of it was simply the time period that Sarah came into the fold because I think if it were now in the year 2006, she'd be treated more favorably by the public and the press. Whatever the opinion on her, I think since her troubles she has handled herself remarkably well and the relationship with her and Andrew speaks for itself. How many divorced couples in or out of the public eye get along so well? And their daughters both seem well-adjusted young ladies so far. I still hold out hold that Sarah and Andrew will get remarried some day, I think she could be a very positive thing for the royal family again.

 

[BeatrixFan]

I think that Sarah was a little to eager to impress. If she had been herself and not tried to be like Diana, then I'm sure she would have been more popular but instead she was slightly cringe-making. I think that now, she's got a better idea of what life in the RF is like and I think she'd be a good Royal but sadly she's been too friendly with the media to ever be allowed back in as a wife.

 

[Lovelydiana]

I don't know what it is about Sarah but i have always liked her. In my opinion she is a very good person and she has made her own money and I heard she may even have more money than Andrew. She has helped so many people by being open with her battle of the bulge and with having troubles with her weight. She has inspired many people in that way to try to lose weight and be healthy again. Sarah has made a name for herself though she is known as "Andrew's ex wife." I think Sarah is a good person and that she should keep doing what she's doing!

 

[Australian]

I like Sarah. Yes she has made mistakes in her life, but haven't we all? But i think she has grown up into a respectable woman who i find is very real. I remember watching an interview with her on an Australian show called 'Rove Live' and she seemed like a genuine warm person. She stated in an interview (cant remember which one) that "I am real". I liked that.

 

[Princess BellyFlop]

I like Sarah. She stated in an interview (cant remember which one) that "I am real". I liked that.

Well, I do not like her and I would be surprised and I would certainly remember if she would state in an interview that she is a fake! Of course she'll say she's real. That's PR101 and she's good at PR.

 

[Incas]

Well, I do not like her and I would be surprised and I would certainly remember if she would state in an interview that she is a fake! Of course she'll say she's real. That's PR101 and she's good at PR.

If she said she was a fake, wouldn't that make her "real"?

 

[Australian]

Well, I do not like her and I would be surprised and I would certainly remember if she would state in an interview that she is a fake! Of course she'll say she's real. That's PR101 and she's good at PR.

The question she was asked was "What makes you different from the Royal Family?" and she replied "I am real"

By this she is, in my interpretation , alluding to the fact that she feels emotions and shows emotions, i dont know. I dont think she is referring to the fake/real concept, but rather, feelings and emotions.

And i have completed PR303 last semester as PR is my major lol

 

[ysbel]

Well, I do not like her and I would be surprised and I would certainly remember if she would state in an interview that she is a fake! Of course she'll say she's real. That's PR101 and she's good at PR.

How on earth can you say that Sarah is good at PR? She gets horrible scathing mention from the press despite the success she's had with her business and her life lately; if that's her PR then Sarah ought to fire her publicist.

 

[Opal]

After all, her "work" with Weight Watchers is hardly charity, is it? -- she does get paid for it, I would imagine...

Yes, she does get paid for it.
And I agree with your above statement regarding her and Andrew re-marrying. Sarah can't handle the royal life. It just doesn't suit her personality. She wants to have it both ways - the freedom of not being a royal, but the "status" of being a royal and being a part of royalty events. But it just doesn't work that way. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If her and Andrew re-married, it would be the same problems (nightmares) all over again. And it really has nothing to do with whether her & Andrew get along or not.

 

[kimebear]

Yes, she does get paid for it.
And I agree with your above statement regarding her and Andrew re-marrying. Sarah can't handle the royal life. It just doesn't suit her personality. She wants to have it both ways - the freedom of not being a royal, but the "status" of being a royal and being a part of royalty events. But it just doesn't work that way. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If her and Andrew re-married, it would be the same problems (nightmares) all over again. And it really has nothing to do with whether her & Andrew get along or not.

Well of course she gets paid for it. It is a job after all. You get paid for working, don't you? Should she expect to do it for free? If she didn't have a job, every Sarah basher on this board would call her a freeloader (many do already, although she carries out more public engagements per year for WW than the members of the Royal Family do for the Queen). More and more British citizens are becoming overweight. IMO Sarah is bringing public recognition to an issue that is usually treated like a dirty and shameful disease. Kudos to her and to Beatrice (with her dyslexia) for not being ashamed to talk about their struggles and giving support to those that share them.

 

[Alexandria]

And I agree with your above statement regarding her and Andrew re-marrying. Sarah can't handle the royal life. It just doesn't suit her personality. She wants to have it both ways - the freedom of not being a royal, but the "status" of being a royal and being a part of royalty events. But it just doesn't work that way. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If her and Andrew re-married, it would be the same problems (nightmares) all over again. And it really has nothing to do with whether her & Andrew get along or not.

I agree with you rchat.

I think as things stand now, Sarah has the best of both worlds that she could want. She gets to have the royal status and clout of being introduced on Oprah or Larry King as "The Duchess of York" without having the intensity of the media scrutiny and public criticism that the rest of the royal family is subjected to, and she gets to have the freedom of living life by her own rules rather than following the strict royal protocol that originally suffocated her so.

The end of Sarah and Andrew's marriage didn't really have much to do with a lack of love between the two of them as was the case with Charles and Diana. While the Yorks may have loved each other less by the end of their marriage, they were both still on good terms with each other -- enough certainly for the two of them to live under one roof at a point when Sarah was trying to dig herself out of bankruptcy. The problem for Andrew and Sarah was that Sarah found life under the thumb of the grey men intolerable and so long as Andrew was his mother's son and devoted to duty through and through and would not remove himself from the line to the throne to run off into the sunset with her, the couple are at a stalemate about their future.

As much as they are good friends now, and as much as the other says they love the other and as much as they love their daughters, getting re-married will only result in the same end: divorce.

 

[Zonk]

Sarah

Kimebear...why do you bang your head against the wall with the Sarah bashers? They will never like or forgive her.

In regards to having it both ways...she does have it both ways. She continues to do her "work (and uses her royal connections)" and has access to to the society life because she is an ex royal (in this way she is no different than a lot of of the German, Italian, and French royalty)...the only reason Sarah get more attention is that she did it with the British Royal Family. I don't see anyone criticizing those royals..and she doesn't even do it in England!

I am afraid that Sarah and Andrew will probably never remarry..nor is it likely that they will marry anyone else. In this instance..they have the best of both worlds as well.

 

[kimebear]

*Sigh*, I know, I know.

 

[Avareenah]

Kimebear...why do you bang your head against the wall with the Sarah bashers?

Well, this is what I'm wondering but because I've made a comment or two here about Sarah, that does not make me a "Sarah basher".

I admit I'm no particular fan of the lady, but I try to make my remarks objective and I'm not here just to criticise the woman. And I AM new...

If this thread is just for Sarah supporters, please let me know.

 

[kimebear]

Of course the thread is not just for supporters. But it does seem to get more than its share of bashers, of which I wasn't including you. Sorry if it seemed so.

 

[Avareenah]

That's okay, kimebear. Thank you.

 

[Zonk]

This thread by all means is not just for Sarah supporters. It is to share the current events and news of Sarah, Duches of York.

It does seem, however, that we do spend a lot of time "rehashing" old issues and defending and/or criticizing Sarah for past behavior. IMO at lot of people have a formed opinion of Sarah (and they are entitled to it) and unless something drastic happens...its not going to change anytime soon. So why do we go round and round in circles.

 

[Opal]

Well of course she gets paid for it. It is a job after all. You get paid for working, don't you? Should she expect to do it for free?

There's no need to get snippy! I was simply answering Avareenah's question.

(...although she carries out more public engagements per year for WW than the members of the Royal Family do for the Queen).

I totally disagree with this statement.

More and more British citizens are becoming overweight. IMO Sarah is bringing public recognition to an issue that is usually treated like a dirty and shameful disease. Kudos to her and to Beatrice (with her dyslexia) for not being ashamed to talk about their struggles and giving support to those that share them.

I never said anything negative about her gig with Weight Watchers. I was referring to Avareenah's comment about them re-marrying.

And for the record I am not a basher either... and this is my first post in this thread. I simply tell it like I see it, whether good or bad, but I am entitled to my opinion, even if it differs from yours.
It would be nice if people could give their opinion without the "Sarah Police" jumping all over them.

 

[Opal]

This thread by all means is not just for Sarah supporters. It is to share the current events and news of Sarah, Duchess of York.
It does seem, however, that we do spend a lot of time "rehashing" old issues and defending and/or criticizing Sarah for past behavior. IMO at lot of people have a formed opinion of Sarah (and they are entitled to it) and unless something drastic happens...its not going to change anytime soon. So why do we go round and round in circles.

Who said anything about "old issues"? We were giving our assessment on the situation as it is today. Curiously, the ones who seem to keep bringing up Sarah's "past"... are her supporters themselves.

 

[Incas]

From what I understand, the "Duchess of York" part is the same as Mrs Smith. It's her name. She can't help using it. That doesn't make mean she is milking her royal connection. Unless there is a new law that any ex-wife must revert to her birth name...

 

[Opal]

From what I understand, the "Duchess of York" part is the same as Mrs Smith. It's her name. She can't help using it. That doesn't make mean she is milking her royal connection. Unless there is a new law that any ex-wife must revert to her birth name...

Who are you replying to? Nobody said anything about her name.

 

[Zonk]

Sarah

Who said anything about "old issues"? We were giving our assessment on the situation as it is today. Curiously, the ones who seem to keep bringing up Sarah's "past"... are her supporters themselves.

Actually the "old issues (i.e. Sarah's work with weight watchers, the alleged plastic surgery, having the best of both worlds, whether Sarah is suited for royal life) were the issues that I was referencing. And far from being a Sarah supporter, I am a Sarah realist where I recognize the best and worst of Sarah.

 

[Tzu An]

Watching Diana's funeral on tv sometime that fateful week in september '97, I was noticing with a bit of dismay how, well, unmoved <all> members of the Royal Family seemed in regards to the nature of the event. Even Diana's own sons had expressions on their faces that looked more like they were attending the funeral of a great-aunt they never knew that well than the final goodbye to their own mother.

Well, the royals were bred to be self diciplined to a fault and her kids might have gotten all their anger and hurt out of their systems before the funeral so maybe they were just emotionally drained and also in a bit of shock.

 

[soCal girl]

I believe William and Harry were told that they were not to cry or show any emotion during the funeral. It must have been extremely hard.

Back to Sarah, she's made mistakes. We all have. Sarah's may have been a little bigger and front page news but it's time to move on. You can like or dislike her but there's no reason to bring up issues over and over again that are well in the past.

 

[Avareenah]

Sarah has a publicist? Pardon my naievete, but why?

 

[madeleine victoria]

we acknowledge her past but I think Sarah needs to grow up..

 

[Princess BellyFlop]

Sarah has a publicist? Pardon my naievete, but why?

Usually people have a publicist to help them maintain their market value. Hey that does apply to Sarah: she needs help to maintain her $ value with her public so Weight Watchers will renew her lucrative contract.

 

[Skydragon]

More and more British citizens are becoming overweight. IMO Sarah is bringing public recognition to an issue that is usually treated like a dirty and shameful disease.

I think it a little unfair to say Sarah brings recognition to people who pig themselves, it is hardly a disease, just over indulgence. I'm sure if everyone had the same money as Sarah, they could all lose weight if they wanted to, the cost of joining this 'club' puts it beyond helping those who are most in need. IMO.

As for Sarah, I'm glad she is no longer a member of the royal family and whilst being happy for her that she has managed a friendly divorce for the sake of the children, I wish she would stop living off her royal connections in the states. I remember watching a programme where she told Ruby Wax that she was still an HRH and although it was a long time ago, the memory lingers.