Few royals have weathered as many media storms as Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. Prince Andrew's ex-wife has spent decades at the center of public scandals, whether it was the infamous "toe sucking" photos from the '90s or her money troubles. Time and time again, she's managed to reinvent herself as an author, philanthropist and media personality—and even scored invites to the Royal Family's Christmas and Easter celebrations again in recent years. But in September, her controversial email exchange with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed—and author Andrew Lownie tells Marie Claire that this time, Fergie's reputation might not recover.
When asked if there is any realistic path back for the Duchess of York after her email scandal, Lownie—author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York—says, "Never say never with Sarah, the Houdini of the Royal Family," pointing out that "most people wouldn’t have survived the 2010 exposure of selling access to Prince Andrew."
"It is extraordinary how she has wormed her way back into the Royal Family with invitations to the Royal Box at Wimbledon, hands kissed at Ascot," he continues. The historian suggests that Ferguson might "play the victim card" and perhaps do "a confessional interview" to try and clear her name, but at the end of the day, he's not so sure if the duchess can come back from this scandal. "I think she is running out of lives," Lownie says.
In her 2011 message to Epstein, Ferguson—who had publicly denounced the convicted sex offender—wrote, "I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that." She also called him a "supreme friend," noting, "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."
Per the Telegraph, the duchess's representative, James Henderson, claimed that the email was only sent after Epstein vowed "to destroy the York family" in a "menacing" call. He continued that Ferguson wrote the message to appease Epstein and prevent him from coming after her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Ferguson has yet to comment publicly on the situation herself.
The duchess has spoken about her friendly relationship with Queen Camilla and King Charles, telling the Sunday Times last year that her late mother, Susan Barrantes, was a friend of the now-Queen. "Queen Camilla was close friends with Mum, which is why we’re so close now," she explained. "I want to do as much for The Queen as possible. I wish they’d ask me to do more."
Speaking about King Charles and his brother, Lownie tells Marie Claire that The King takes a firmer stance on Andrew than Queen Elizabeth did during her lifetime. "The Queen was his protector and he was untouchable," Lownie says of the Duke of York. "Complaints were repeatedly made to her and ignored. That is no longer the case."
He continues that while "Charles is sympathetic to his younger brother," he also "recognizes that Andrew’s behavior is impacting the reputation of the monarchy." As for Prince William, he "has no time for Andrew personally and is very aware of the wider reputational damage which undermines the good work other royals do," Lownie notes.
While speaking about the palace's media response, Lownie says, "The line has always been ‘Never Complain, Never Explain’ and hope the scandal passes" and that "of course, behind the scenes there is pressure to kill stories." He adds that the strategy "has largely worked" over the years, however, "Epstein is so toxic and the public mood has changed."
The Entitled author continues, "Charles now needs to get ahead of the story by removing titles and privileges from ‘Bonnie & Clyde.'"
