10 Rumors About Sarah Ferguson We Couldn't Ignore

Sarah Ferguson was long known as the Duchess of York, but in 2025, she lost her titles shortly after new information surged surrounding her friendship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Sarah's ex-husband, Prince Andrew, has also been tarnished by rumors of a close relationship with Epstein — a reality that has been said to haunt King Charles III for years. In a statement released to the press, Andrew explained the decision to discard their Duke and Duchess of York titles. "In discussion with the king, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family," the statement read. "With His Majesty's agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me" (via the BBC).

In many ways, this move was a long time coming. Some of Sarah and Prince Andrew's most cringeworthy moments have left the public reeling for decades. Even back in the 1980s, the couple were admonished for their rude behavior on a royal tour of California. These days, gossip continues to swirl around both Andrew and Sarah. However, as more of Sarah's personal scandals have come to light, the rumors about the former duchess have reached a boiling point.

If Sarah Ferguson is one of the British royal family's most scandalous figures, it might be because scandal is her birthright. After all, Fergie hails from one of the most controversial families of the upper crust. In 1988, her father, Ronald Ferguson, made headlines by exiting an illicit London massage parlor — a visit that cost him his role with the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. Her mother, Susan Barrantes, meanwhile, was tied to an Argentine ranch that piled up debts until her death in 1998.

But the biggest scandal involving Sarah's parents might actually have been a royal affair. According to royal biographer, Andrew Lownie, Prince Philip engaged in extra-marital relationships during his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II, and Sarah's mother was one of his beloved affair partners. All of this is rumor, of course, but Lownie swears by his source — not least of all because he is married to her. 

Indeed, Lownie's wife, Angela Lownie, grew up in the same neighborhood as the Ferguson family. She apparently has it on very good authority that Philip and Susan were once an item. While her claims have never been verified, it's nonetheless noteworthy that Ronald Ferguson's 1994 autobiography, "The Galloping Major," casts a romantic illusion or two. "I always suspected that Prince Philip had an eye for Susie. Certainly, they remain friends to this day," the book reads. And the speculation continues.

Despite whatever royal scandal surrounded Sarah Ferguson's family, she was accepted into the firm after marrying Prince Andrew in 1986. The wedding was a spectacular affair that deeply moved the young Fergie. "Our wedding was the best day of my life. But I gave up my anonymity that day. I was able to because love conquers all," she would later write for The Times. Promptly styled the Duchess of York, Sarah skyrocketed in the world of royal ranking. Unfortunately, rumor has it that some members of the palace staff felt she was perhaps a little too proud of her newfound status.

Speaking to Andrew Lownie for his book, "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," Highgrove housekeeper, Wendy Berry, opined, "Marriage brought her attention and a list of privileges that she never could have dreamed of." Former butler, Paul Burrell, alleged that Fergie allowed her power to get to her head. In his tell-all, "The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana," the ex-staffer claimed Sarah had been asked what she wanted to eat on a royal picnic, but failed to give her lunch order to the page. One staffer apparently got so fed up with Sarah's perpetual lack of decorum that he finally belted, "What does that red-haired mare want for lunch?" Perhaps, Sarah created an enemy or two in the palace.

During her tenure as the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson caused a number of royal scandals, but the most shocking rumors surrounding her pertains to the years after her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew. Around this time, the Duchess of York developed a controversial connection with the late sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, after pursuing brand deals in New York City. As Maxwell herself revealed in an interview with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, "I'm English and my close friends are all close friends with Sarah and Andrew." But were Sarah and Maxwell besties? To quote Maxwell, she was her "frenemy." Explaining this term, Epstein's accomplice clarified, "I think there was some latent hostility."

Some of the tensions that brewed between Maxwell and Fergie might have been chocked up to jealousy. According to Maxwell, Sarah was romantically interested in Epstein — a factor that caused a sense of competition between the two women. "I thought that Sarah was trying to put the moves on Jeffrey, if I'm being honest, and I thought the whole thing was annoying and I was p****d off," Maxwell dished. She later added, "And they [Sarah, Epstein, and Andrew] met and hung out, I want to say two or three times that had nothing to do with me ... I was annoyed and I felt left out, and I felt disrespected and I was like, this is weird."

Regardless of whether Sarah Ferguson was really interested in Jeffrey Epstein on a romantic level, the facts show she was interested him financially. In 2011, the then-Duchess of York admitted to accepting a £15,000 ($20,000) loan from Epstein after failing to pay her assistant, due to mounting debts. At the time, the full extent of Epstein's crimes had not been made apparent to the public, although he had already served prison time for soliciting prostitution from a minor. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Sarah apologized for her financial dependence on the convicted pedophile, stating, "I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me." She went on to condemn Epstein's crimes, adding, "This was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf."

Interestingly, though, rumor has it that Sarah asked Epstein for more than the previously reported £15,000. Speaking to the Daily Mail, one palace insider claimed Fergie had taken much larger sums from the sex offender. "Sarah and Prince Andrew have always maintained they distanced themselves from Epstein after his conviction for child prostitution. In fact, it was Epstein who ended up dumping them. He got sick and tired of Sarah constantly asking him for money," the source claimed. In his book, "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," Andrew Lownie claimed that Sarah had accepted hundreds of thousands from Epstein.

In 2011, when Sarah Ferguson was caught accepting a loan from Jeffrey Epstein, she gave an interview to the Evening Standard. "I had no idea of the string of other allegations and court cases against him and I am distraught that I should have allowed myself to get out of debt with any help from him when my judgment was clouded," Sarah stated. As little as the then-duchess claimed to know about Epstein's activities, certain sources indicate Sarah was fully aware of the fact that her "supreme friend" — as she once called him in an email — had already been imprisoned for soliciting prostitution from a minor. In fact, emails from Epstein to his lawyer, Paul Tweed, alleged Sarah actually visited him after he was released from jail.

"[Sarah] took apartments in New York. She was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow," Epstein wrote. "She visited me with [a] policeman sitting at my front desk. She has asked for help with her charities" (via The Telegraph). Sources close to Sarah insist that this visit never took place. Apparently, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie also do not remember meeting Epstein at this time. Although this particular encounter may be just an unverified rumor, flight logs indicate that the Sarah took a young Beatrice and Eugenie to meet Epstein in the Bahamas in 1998 (via the U.S. Department of Justice).

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's behavior has been so scandalous that their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are rumored to be furious. Because Sarah did take the two princesses to meet Jeffrey Epstein in 1998, according to flight logs released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Beatrice and Eugenie have not been able to keep their names out of the headlines. In an interview with the Mirror, royal expert, Katie Nicholl, noted that the fall of the house of York has left its mark on the two younger royals. In her view, Andrew and Sarah's "daughters are the most unfortunate victims [of their royal downfalls], they've had to suffer in silence and have been dignified in their silence."

Although Beatrice and Eugenie were not directly involved in the Epstein scandal, their association with their parents may be enough to harm their public images. "The Yorks have always been a close-knit family. However, [Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's] closeness to their parents is likely to mean that they are not involved, at least for a period, probably a considerable period, in new charitable projects," royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Mirror. According to rumor, the tarnishing of Beatrice and Eugenie's public images could destroy their relationship with Sarah. In 2025, Eugenie went so far as to snub her mother by failing to post her annual birthday greeting on social media.

Given the backlash from Sarah Ferguson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, many members of the British public would like to see the disgraced former duchess leave royal property. At the beginning of 2025, Sarah resided with Prince Andrew at Royal Lodge, a stunning royal mansion where the ex-couple enjoy 30 rooms. Interestingly, there have been whispers that Sarah is secretly desperate to leave the residence. Speaking to RadarOnline, a source close to Fergie claimed she "would love to move out" as the Epstein scandal has left her "emotionally exhausted and desperate to escape" her current living situation.

According to this rumor, Sarah does not feel that leaving Royal Lodge is possible — thanks to her enduring friendship with Andrew. As a friend of hers told RadarOnline in the same interview, Sarah believes her options are limited. "Sarah feels utterly trapped ... She'd love to move out of Royal Lodge, but she's terrified of what that would mean. She's older, she's tired, and she's afraid of being completely alone." Despite the fact the former Duke and Duchess of York are no longer a couple, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew have maintained a close yet toxic relationship. "There's no love left there with Andrew as a partner, but she's been tied to him for decades ... Even when he ruins her peace, she still feels responsible for him," the aforementioned friend added.

In October 2025, Sarah Ferguson was stripped of her Duchess of York title, leaving her essentially title-less for the first time in four decades. While making this transition from aristocrat to commoner could not have been easy for Sarah, the rumors surrounding her reaction to this social demotion have varied considerably. According to one of the ex-duchess' friends, Sarah is not too concerned with the issue of holding a title or not. "She will always support her former husband's decisions and do anything for the king. For her this will not make a big difference," the source told Hello!

Other voices, however, whisper that Sarah has been destroyed by the loss of her titles. On his iconic Shuter Scoop Substack, gossip guru Rob Shuter claimed sources told him Fergie was "livid" and "furious" about her big demotion. One source close to the situation even informed Shuter, "That title was her identity. Losing it feels like a death." Making matters worse, Sarah is rumored to blame Andrew for the humiliation of this loss. "She's stuck. Royal Lodge belongs to Andrew — not her. Without him, she'd have no home or lifestyle," the same source alleged.

Many of the rumors surrounding Sarah Ferguson are no more than mere speculation. However, as Fergie has endured her dramatic fall from grace, some royal watchers have begun to wonder whether she would be willing to sell juicy information about Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. Reflecting on this possibility in an interview with the Daily Mail, one insider opined, Fergie will say anything to "save her own skin." Commentators for the publication wondered if Sarah might even sit for a tell-all interview in exchange for money, but the aforementioned source cast the possibility to the wayside, noting, "Her fate is closely tied to that of her ex-husband."

That being said, other sources are not so sure the palace will be able to count on Sarah's silence. In 2025, at least one television executive told RadarOnline that American media companies would love to get their hands on a "Fergie tells all" special. "There's industry chatter about her sitting down for a gentle U.S. interview — something far more controlled than Andrew's 'Newsnight' debacle. But for it to land well, she'd need to clearly separate herself from him," the anonymous exec explained. Although Sarah has been loyal to Andrew, insiders say she will protect her public image at all costs. A separate source told RadarOnline, "If she's forced to pick between protecting Andrew or protecting her own future, she'll put herself first."

It has long been reported that Prince William has waning patience for the royals who are no longer officially part of the firm. Prince William's feud with his California-based brother, Prince Harry has been extremely well-documented, as has his distaste for Prince Andrew. William also seems to admonish Sarah Ferguson — no thanks to her connections to Jeffrey Epstein. In 2025, rumors began to surge that the Prince of Wales would use Sarah's downfall to propel his kingly image forward.

Andrew Lownie's book, "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York," even quotes an inside source who claimed William "also loathes Sarah, Andrew's ex-wife, and can't wait for the day when his father throws them both out. If Charles doesn't, I guarantee you the first thing William does when he eventually becomes king is to get them evicted." Interestingly, it has been suggested that banishing the former Yorks from royal life could show the public that William has what it takes to become king.

As reported by the Independent, a YouGov poll showed that 80% of British citizens want Andrew to be formally stripped of all titles. In that sense, it's no surprise the rumors surrounding William's potential future approach to Sarah and Andrew could really give him the popularity he needs to overcome the Yorks' embarrassing connections to Epstein. This may be the one way for him to save the monarchy from the Duke and Duchess of Scandal.