Buckingham Palace is increasingly uneasy as Sarah Ferguson weighs a series of lucrative proposals for a televised interview, her first since she lost her courtesy title of Duchess of York.
Broadcasters in the United States are understood to have put forward offers in the six-figure range, while interest has also come from networks in the Gulf and the UK. Her team is said to be assessing the bids with care, amid concerns that any appearance would inevitably reopen the controversies surrounding both her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and her own connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
Sources close to the Palace say officials are nervous about what the 66-year-old might choose to reveal now that she is no longer bound by royal expectations. One insider suggested that, in the absence of formal ties to the monarchy, the former duchess may feel freer to speak candidly.
The insider told The Sun: “There’s a danger of her going rogue and saying things that could cause embarrassment for King Charles and Queen Camilla, or other members of the family.”
Another royal source told the publication that the Palace would have little control over the narrative should Ferguson decide to proceed with a high-profile interview, saying: “The royals are bound to worry at the prospect ‘but there’s not much they can do to stop her.”
Ferguson is said to be “taking stock” of her options, with advisers fully aware that any interview would define her future public image.
Several people familiar with discussions suggested she feels she has been treated harshly. She gave up her courtesy title when her former husband said he would no longer use the title of Duke of York. He has since lost that title for good after The King asked the Lord Chancellor to strike it from the Roll of Peerage.
She is now known as Sarah Ferguson, her maiden name.
Another blow was the loss of her long time home at Royal Lodge. She shared the thirty room residence in Windsor Great Park with Andrew for decades but he has now surrendered the lease and will move to a home on the Sandringham estate, provided by The King. Sarah Ferguson is understood to be making her own arrangements for her home after Royal Lodge.
Her supporters argue she has long wished to explain her position regarding Epstein, whom she once described in an email as a “supreme friend”. The fallout from that comment—along with the pulping of her recent children’s book—has placed considerable financial pressure on her.
One insider said: “Sarah is actually quite keen to answer questions as she strongly believes she’s done nothing wrong, and been harshly treated.”
For Buckingham Palace, the uncertainty over what the former duchess does next is deeply unwelcome. After months of attempting to restore stability following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s fall from grace, the prospect of a high-profile, unscripted interview by his former wife has revived anxieties at the very moment the King hopes to draw a line under the affair.
