11 Times Sarah Ferguson, Duchess Of York Defied Royal Protocols And Stirred Up Controversy

The following article contains references to sexual assault and child abuse.

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was not born into royalty, but her family boasted strong royal ties. Her father, Ronald Ferguson, played polo with Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip. He coached King Charles III and, like the future monarch, could trace his lineage back to King Charles II. Sarah's mother, Susan Barrantes, also boasted aristocratic roots as the niece of the Viscount Powerscourt. This distinct lineage meant that the palace viewed Sarah as sufficiently elite to play with the queen's son, Prince Andrew, during their youth. The pair would play tag on the sidelines of the polo field when they were just a pair of tots, and eventually they got married.

Given that Sarah grew up in such an upper crust environment, one would think that she would be familiar with the complex world of royal protocol. With weird rules dictating how royals can use the bathroom and equally weird regulations to follow when drinking tea, such strict protocols are ubiquitous in a palace setting. Despite Sarah's royal connections, however, she has really struggled to follow these rules after walking down the aisle with Andrew. Although Sarah became the Duchess of York, she often failed to behave in a way that the palace would consider suitable for her position. From shouting on live television to associating with unsavory people, these are the biggest rules that Fergie has ever broken.

When Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, first married into the British royal family, the public loved her. Royal watchers were enchanted by her authentically fun and unpretentious ways. Whereas many other royals were stiff or serious, Sarah was not afraid to speak her mind at walkabouts — often earning her laughs. Unfortunately, however, this element of Sarah's personality backfired in 1987 when she agreed to appear on a reality game show titled "It's a Royal Knockout."

The one-time television special had been organized by her brother-in-law, Prince Edward, to raise money for charity. The idea was that Edward, Sarah, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne would complete a number of tricky tasks in Medieval getup. Viewership numbers would contribute to charitable donations, but while the fund-raising aspect was actually quite successful, for Sarah, it was a personal public relations disaster. During the competition, Sarah demonstrated her enthusiasm by clapping her hands, shouting, and cheering on her team. This positive attitude broke major protocol, as royal women are always supposed to present a pristine and dignified image to the world.

Reflecting on this instance in the documentary "Fergie and Andrew: The Duke and Duchess of Disaster," royal expert Richard Kay said that this may have been the moment when Sarah lost support. "That really was the beginning of the time, I think, when the public began to question Fergie and what she was getting out of royalty, rather than what she was putting into it."

The doubts surrounding Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, only increased in 1988 when she and Prince Andrew embarked on a royal tour of the United States. The couple went to California, where crowds gathered to view real British royalty in the flesh. Despite whatever interest the pair may have inspired among their American fans, however, Sarah and Andrew's behavior on the trip did not go according to the royal family's strict rules. The duo appeared late to engagements, and Fergie made a number of inappropriate quips. At one point during the visit, Senator Art Torres shouted, "We love you, Fergie!" (via the LA Times). She broke protocol with a rather unroyal response: "I'll see you later."

Unfortunately, these instances did not play well with residents of the United Kingdom. In the documentary "Fergie and Andrew: The Duke and Duchess of Disaster," royal journalist Eve Pollard attributed this to the changing culture at the time. "I mean, remember the previous Duchess of York had been the Queen Mother. So, you're talking about a changing view of the royal family. You're talking about the country changing. They want [the royals] to be up on a pedestal, but when they say something like that, [the people] think, 'Oh you've slipped down from the pedestal.'" By making uncouth comments, Fergie broke protocol and lost much of the public support that had characterized her early days in the family.

In September 1989, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, published two children's books via the publishing house Simon & Schuster. The stories, titled "Budgie: The Little Helicopter" and "Budgie at Bendick's Point," featured a group of aircrafts adorably named Budgie, Pippa, and Lionel. In theory, Sarah's books aligned well with her role as a member of the royal family — applauding values like bravery and heroism. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Sarah's readers to notice that "Budgie" was somewhat familiar. The tales of the little helicopter's efforts to embark on adventures were eerily similar to a 1964 children's book by Arthur W. Baldwin, titled "Hector the Helicopter."

Before long, Sarah had been accused of plagiarizing Baldwin's work. While her publisher insisted that any similarities between the characters of Budgie and Hector were no more than a coincidence, not everybody was convinced. In fact, Random House — which had published "Hector the Helicopter" — even considered suing Sarah. Ultimately, the publishing house let things go, but the damage was essentially done. Protocol dictates that members of the royal family avoid controversy at all costs, and by publishing a book that was similar to someone else's, Sarah sparked a royal scandal. Queen Elizabeth II's then-press secretary, Robin Janvrin, apparently had to prevent the circulation of Sarah's stories on the American market in an effort to contain the fall-out. However, the damage to the reputation of the crown was already done.

Discretion and subtlety are not the only values traditionally valued by the British royal family. Privacy ranks very high among the family's biggest issues — especially when it comes to its youngest members. Protocol holds that details surrounding royal children should not be leaked to the press. In the past, Queen Elizabeth II's nanny, Marion Crawford, was actually shunned by the family for telling innocuous stories about the young Elizabeth to reporters. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, must have understood this rule. However, after Princess Beatrice was born, Sarah sold photos of her daughter to Hello! for £250,000 — or about $337,000. Her info resulted in an embarrassing 48-page expo on the York family.

This move broke protocol in serious ways. Not only did it violate the royal family's privacy but it also seemed that Sarah was capitalizing on her role as a public figure. Eager to defend her public image, Sarah made sure to communicate that the payment would be going to charity. What she did not say, however, was that the money would be paid to her own mother, Susan Barrantes. As per royal expert Andrew Lownie in his book, "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," Barrantes' finances were not great, and Fergie was keen to help. Lownie also claimed that Sarah spent some of the money fixing up the recreational areas at Sunninghill Park — the estate where she and Andrew resided.

Extramarital affairs have long been part of palace life. Because the British upper class has historically married out of duty and not love, its members have often engaged in secret romances where they explore matters of the heart. Royal protocol, however, encourages these liaisons to remain under the radar. During Sarah Ferguson's marriage to Prince Andrew, infidelity was understood to have been a major issue in their relationship. As a naval officer, Andrew spent months away from Sarah at a time, and apparently, he was not always faithful to his wife. The Duchess of York, too, engaged in the occasional extramarital affair — but broke protocol by enjoying her relationships publicly.

This was especially true in the year 1990. At the time, Sarah was engaged in a relationship with the Texan businessman Steve Wyatt. Rather than keep their romance on the down-low, Sarah instead flaunted it. Per Andrew Lownie's "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," the duchess invited Wyatt to dinners at Buckingham Palace, as well as parties held in London's most aristocratic circles. At one particular dinner, Sarah and Wyatt put on "a display of mutual fondling I have never seen before in a three-star restaurant," as an anonymous guest told Lownie. Sarah's behavior was viewed as distinctly un-royal and inspired quite a bit of gossip in elite circles.

The Duchess of York's affection toward her extra-marital lovers would eventually land her in hot water with the British people. In 1992, when Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew were in the midst of their official separation, the duchess went to St. Tropez with a new boyfriend — this time, an American named John Bryan. The couple spent a week lounging at a private farmhouse with a pool. Sarah helped Bryan with his sunscreen. He splashed around with her in the pool. At one point during the holiday, Bryan leaned over and kissed Fergie's toes. Unbeknownst to him, paparazzi were lurking in the bushes, snapping photos that would soon be leaked to the press.

Unfortunately, these images massively broke protocol. Royal women are expected to maintain a squeaky clean public image through a combination of elegance and modesty. In this situation, Sarah showed neither. Making matters worse, the photographs taken of Sarah and Bryan showed that the pair hadn't been afraid to indulge in the occasional smooch in the presence of the two young princesses. According to royal expert Richard Kay, this episode was extremely stressful for Sarah — who hadn't imagined that her royal image would be so swiftly destroyed. "Those pictures were going to be on the breakfast room sideboard in the Queen's castle. They would also be winging around the world to be pored over by millions," Kay wrote in the Daily Mail.

The 2023 publication of Prince Harry's tell-all memoir rattled royal watchers around the world thanks to the serious claims "Spare" made about Prince William. But, before Harry ever sat down with his ghost writer, there were other controversial royal memoirs that had spilled the royals' juiciest secrets. Chief among them: "My Story" by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. Published in 1996, this tell-all memoir represented a serious departure from the royal family's golden rule of "never complain, never explain." In her book, Sarah did both. She alleged that the royal family had made her feel like an outsider in their midsts, painting palace culture as cold and foreboding.

This was not the only instance where Sarah's book defied royal protocol. Members of Britain's most famous family are expected to remain mum about any embarrassing secrets. Sarah broke this rule by claiming that Diana — then the Princess of Wales — suffered from an unpleasant foot condition. "Diana helped me by giving me all her shoes (and less happily, her plantar warts)," Fergie wrote. Prior to the publication of "My Story," Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana already had a complicated relationship, but the warts episode was apparently the last straw. Diana reportedly chose not to forgive Fergie for her indiscretion, and the pair never reconciled.  

Members of the British royal family are never supposed to trade on their titles to generate an income. This protocol was put in place to protect the image of the British monarchy as an important part of the country's government — rather than a mere position of power. Despite this, following her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, headed to the United States, where she raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in product endorsements. During her time in the U.S., Fergie did commercials for Ocean Spray cranberry juice. She also became one of Weight Watcher's most important spokespeople.

In the documentary "Fergie and Andrew: The Duke and Duchess of Disaster," former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter explained that Sarah's rank had a direct impact on her income. "Americans, God bless them, they love people with titles. And, if you're a lord, well, yeah, you're pretty good. But, if you're a duchess? Well, you sort of hit the jackpot," he revealed. Sarah was able to capitalize on her position, but that doesn't mean that her behavior was viewed favorably by Buckingham Palace. If anything, it seemed like she was diminishing the royal brand by tacking it on to fruit juice and weight loss programs.

Product endorsements were not the only type of inappropriate public appearance made by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, following her divorce from Prince Andrew. The duchess also made a cameo on the hit American television series, "Friends." In the show's Season 4 finale — "The One with Ross's Wedding" — Sarah played herself. She jokingly told Joey's character that she loved his giant Union Jack hat, calling it "dashing."

While this guest appearance represented a fun, lighthearted moment for Sarah, the palace was not pleased. Royal protocol requires princes, princesses, dukes, and duchesses to remain as far away from the world of celebrity as possible. The idea is to maintain the sanctity of the crown as something that exists beyond all the trendiness and frivolities of Hollywood. In appearing on an American television show, Sarah blurred important lines.

Commenting on this in the documentary "Fergie and Andrew: The Duke and Duchess of Disaster," royal historian Dr. Anna Whitelock explained, "Appearing on the episode of 'Friends' for some people would be the ultimate kind of cult appearance ... But, you know, this was not becoming of a former royal princess to appear on an American sitcom." Whitelock then added that working royals would normally be banned from partaking in a television show. As someone holding the title of duchess, Fergie definitely broke protocol.

It's never recommended that members of the British royal family engage with convicted sex offenders. Beyond the terrible moral implications of such a relationship, it simply is not good for the monarchy to associate with disreputable people. However, in January 2011, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, reached out to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to thank him for what she described as a much-needed loan. Epstein, who had by then already served time in prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor, had indeed sent the duchess £15,000. In an email that was later leaked to the press, Fergie thanked Epstein for the loan, writing, "Sometimes the heart speaks better than words. You have my heart" (via New York Post).

Just months after this interaction, the media got wind of Ferguson's financial relationship with Epstein. She was swiftly condemned for having accepted money from such an unsavory figure, which embarrassed the British royal family and frustrated the public. In March 2011, Sarah issued a statement to the Evening Standard, apologizing for her ties to Epstein. "I am just so contrite I cannot say. Whenever I can I will repay the money and will have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again," she stated. The duchess also made a point of condemning the American businessman's crimes, reaffirming her position against the abuse of children.

Although Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, seemed to condemn Jeffrey Epstein back in 2011, leaked emails show that things weren't that simple. Following her public condemnation of Epstein's actions, Sarah reached out to Epstein to apologize for her statements. "I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologize to you and your heart for that," she told him, as reported by the Daily Mail. Making matters worse, Sarah told Epstein that the only reason that she spoke against him was to protect her public image. "I was instructed to act with the utmost speed if I would have any chance of holding on to my career as a children's book author and a children's philanthropist," she continued.

These emails stand as yet another example of Fergie's disregard for royal protocol, and this time, Sarah's breach of royal rules resulted in immediate backlash. She lost many of her royal patronages. She also captured Prince William's attention — and not in a good way. "William feels even more strongly than the king that Andrew and Fergie are an embarrassment and will be urging his father to act," a royal insider told the Daily Mail. Apparently, the future king feels that Sarah's scandals have been so bad for the monarchy that she no longer deserves to be part of the system.

If you or anyone you know may be the victim of child abuse or sexual assault, please contact the relevant resources below:

• Call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
• Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).