(MSN) - Sarah Ferguson has been the headlines as of late because of her ties convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Now, according to People's latest cover story, the former Duchess of York was "desperate for money" following her 1996 divorce from former Prince Andrew.
After the split, Ferguson received an estimated $475,000 settlement, an amount that pales in comparison to the $22 million settlement Princess Diana received from her and then-Prince Charles's divorce that same year. The significant gap in payouts seems to have been an intentional choice for Ferguson, who had become accustomed to a high-end lifestyle and wanted to remain close to the Royal family. "I chose friendship with the family. I wanted friendship with the boss,” she said, referring to Queen Elizabeth, in a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Even after she cut her marital ties to the Royal family, the former Duchess of York and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, remained intertwined with the Royal family's everyday life. “They turned a blind eye,” Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, told People. In the following years, Ferguson made frequent appearances in Royal spaces, including Ascot, Wimbledon, and Sandringham.
At first glance, Ferguson's extravagant lifestyle seemed to have hardly been affected following the divorce. Behind the scenes, Ferguson's attempts to maintain this lifestyle posed serious financial struggles. "She was introduced to this lifestyle and kept living it,” said Robert Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy. “She was desperate for money.”
Determined to maintain her social and financial status, Ferguson spent the following years pursuing different ventures. "She’s always been a fighter—that’s her trademark,” a friend told People.
In 1997, less than a year after the divorce, she became a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. The partnership earned Ferguson $1.7 million, per The Los Angeles Times. A commercial shot for Ocean Spray earned her half that. In the late '90s and early '00s, she also became a prominent spokesperson for Waterford Wedgwood, appearing in commercials and even creating a dinnerware line with the brand. She has also accepted multiple speaking engagements and brand endorsements. In 2011, she released Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself, a memoir detailing her journey back from public ruin.
According to the book, Ferguson and Diana, who had been friends long before either married into the royal family, had not been on speaking terms for nearly a year at the time of Diana's death.
Amid her financial struggles, Ferguson recently fell under fire after a January 30 report released by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed personal ties between the former Duchess and Jeffrey Epstein. According to People, a string of emails between the two allegedly shows Ferguson asking Jeffrey for a job as a housekeeper, requesting airfare for herself and her daughters, and discussing money with the former financier on numerous occasions.
Those close to Ferguson, now 66, are skeptical of where things go next. “She always thinks she can bounce back,” a friend close to the family told People. “But this isn’t something that can blow over.
Ferguson has not been seen publicly since September 25, when she was spotted leaving the Royal Lodge. While her whereabouts remain unknown, sources close to the Royal family believe she is hiding abroad. "[She] will find it very hard to come back," Lownie said.
Staff Author
March 10, 2026
