A royal insider has spoken out following claims that Sarah Ferguson has been offered a major seven-figure deal for a tell-all autobiography. Sources suggested on Thursday that the former Duchess of York is just “days away” from reaching an agreement with a publisher, potentially putting the Royal Family on high alert.
The claims come as Princess Diana’s younger brother, Earl Spencer, has made a string of bombshell allegations in his new book, Swan Song, Diana, My Sister, which has reportedly sparked a row with King Charles.
Now, a source close to Fergie, 66, has hit back at the claims, suggesting she “has no plans to write any tell-all memoir” and is “unaware of any multi-million dollar book deal”.
Andrew Lownie, a royal historian who spent years researching the lives of Sarah and Andrew for his biography Entitled, believes there could be an ulterior motive behind the reports.
“She has been touting a book for months but I’m not convinced she will do it,” he tells the Mirror, adding: “She will not want to endanger the future of her children.”
He also claims: “My instinct she has leaked the story as part of a negotiation with the Royal Family to take care of her. Let us see which publisher confirms the deal – if any.”
The author had previously suggested that Fergie could be “negotiating” for a “nice pension” in exchange for not taking part in a tell-all interview or publishing a book.
It has also been claimed that Sarah could use a potential book to open up about everything from her marriage to Andrew and her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein to her experiences with other senior members of the Royal Family.
However, former BBC royal editor Jennie Bond believes that without the exposé element, the book could prove difficult to sell.
She said: “Despite the rumours swirling that she is seriously considering signing a deal, her spokesperson has denied it. At least, to be specific, they denied that she is planning a ‘tell-all memoir’ – and without the ‘tell-all’ material, the dollars will not be flowing.”
PR experts appear to agree, including PR and media consultant Chad Teixeira, who says a book deal could easily “go well into seven figures”, particularly “if she is willing to talk properly about Andrew, Epstein and what has gone on behind closed doors in the Royal Family”.
They added: “That is where the real value is for a publisher.”