A forthcoming biography, “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” by author Andrew Lownie, paints a vivid picture of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, revealing her deep infatuation with the late John F. Kennedy Jr. and the staggering extent of her financial struggles. The book, set to be released on August 14, claims Ferguson harbored a fervent crush on JFK Jr., even expressing fury when Princess Diana reportedly met him first.
A Royal Rivalry for JFK Jr.
The revelations from Lownie’s biography, excerpted by the Daily Mail on August 4, suggest that the Duchess of York, affectionately known as Fergie, was deeply smitten with John F. Kennedy Jr. Her interest was so intense that she allegedly gave him the codename “Number Nine,” signifying his position in a supposed list of her lovers. Lownie recounts Ferguson’s intense focus on JFK Jr., spending hours poring over magazines for articles about him, meticulously cutting out swimsuit photos, and engaging in lengthy discussions with confidantes about what aspects of her personality he might find appealing. One close confidante reportedly observed, “She’ll suddenly ask, ‘Do you think Ken will mind that I don’t like such and such a thing?’ It’s incredibly real to her, like a schoolgirl crush. She spends hours talking about him. The fact that she’s never even met him doesn’t seem to matter at all.”
The book details Ferguson’s attempts to meet Kennedy. Upon learning they were in the same New York hotel, she extended an invitation for drinks or dinner. Despite being informed that Kennedy was in a relationship with actress Daryl Hannah, Ferguson reportedly dismissed the information, declaring, “That’s not going to bother me!” However, it appears Hannah was indeed bothered, as Kennedy ultimately canceled, citing a prior engagement. In an extraordinary turn of events, Ferguson allegedly ordered her staff to “spy on his apartment all night to check that he had told the truth.”
The Duchess’s frustration escalated upon discovering that Princess Diana had a private, 30-minute meeting with Kennedy in a New York hotel at Christmas 1995. “She was furious: ‘He’s mine! Why can’t she just leave him alone?'” Lownie writes. This competitive dynamic was corroborated by Patrick Jephson, Diana’s private secretary, who, in the book “JFK JR: An Intimate Oral Biography,” confirmed that Diana sought the discreet meeting partly because “Sarah Ferguson had the hots for him and Diana wanted to, I think, do one up on her.” Beyond Kennedy, Ferguson’s alleged crushes also included high-profile figures such as Kevin Costner, Tiger Woods, and George Clooney.
The Shadow of Debt: A Decade of Lavish Spending
Beyond personal infatuations, “Entitled” also delves into the significant financial turmoil that plagued the Duchess of York from the 1990s through around 2010. Following her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996, Fergie retained her royal title but faced a mounting pile of debt. The biography claims that Queen Elizabeth II intervened on “several” occasions to settle her financial obligations. For instance, in January 1996, palace officials reportedly confirmed a demand from Coutts bank for Ferguson to pay approximately $663,000 within two weeks, before the Queen ceased her direct financial interventions.
John Bryan, Ferguson’s former financial adviser and rumored lover, detailed her staggering annual expenditure, which reportedly totaled $1.14 million. This colossal sum included nearly $400,000 for staff, around $200,000 on gifts, $66,000 for parties, another $200,000 allocated for travel, and $132,000 on clothes. A notable example of her spending habits cited was a single hour at Bloomingdale’s where she reportedly spent an astonishing $33,000.
Concerns were also raised regarding the logistics of her charitable endeavors, specifically her American charity, Chances for Children. While the organization benefited from tax-exempt non-profit status, its office on Sixth Avenue was reportedly funded by US News & World Report. Allegations suggested that Ferguson utilized this space as a private office, raising questions about the charity’s operational transparency.
By 1997, Ferguson reportedly managed to significantly reduce her debts through various income streams, including an advance from her memoirs, earnings from her deal with WeightWatchers, six interviews with Paris Match, and nearly $400,000 from two children’s books. However, this financial stability proved temporary. Lownie alleges that at a later point, it emerged the Duchess of York owed between $2.6 million and $5.3 million to a staggering 200 creditors.
Despite the public scrutiny of her finances, Ferguson, mother to Princess Beatrice (36) and Princess Eugenie (35) with Prince Andrew, has publicly presented herself as the family’s primary financial provider. At a National Press Club Event in 1994, she asserted, “I’m a separated mother of two, largely responsible for the finances of my family. It really bugs me when I read that I’m a millionairess through my Budgie [children’s] books. It’s rubbish.”
Lownie’s “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York” promises to offer an unvarnished look into the complex life of Sarah Ferguson, from her personal fixations to her public financial struggles.
