Sarah Ferguson is allegedly seeking a 'nice pension' from the Royal Family to secure her future and avoid a tell-all television interview, while Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are said to have blocked a financial audit ordered by King Charles and Prince William, according to a royal biographer.
The news came after author Andrew Lownie updated his bookEntitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of Yorkwith fresh claims about the Duke of York's former wife and their two daughters.
The new paperback, now on sale, paints a picture of a royal household still wrestling with the fallout from Prince Andrew's scandals and the Yorks' complicated semi-royal status.
In interviews promoting the book, Lownie alleges that King Charles and Prince William asked for a detailed financial audit of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's money, reflecting concern over how the York sisters fund their lifestyles. He claims the princesses refused to cooperate with the probe.
Lownie argues that the dispute over an alleged audit is a symptom of a wider 'civil war' within the monarchy about what to do with the Yorks. He told theMirrorthat Beatrice and Eugenie are 'clearly footballs in this thing,' caught between different camps within the Royal Family.
According to his account, senior figures are worried about the optics of the sisters' activities abroad. Lownie pointed to their travel and social life as a problem for a monarchy that has tried to slim down and avoid further reputational shocks, particularly after the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the long-running controversy around Prince Andrew.
'The fact that they are still swanning around the Middle East, using their titles... it doesn't send out the right signals if you want to work your passage back. It's confusing,' he said.
There is no independent documentation in the public domain of any formal audit demand, nor of any alleged refusal, and no palace spokesperson has gone on record about such a move. For now, it sits squarely in the category of contested insider briefing.
At the centre of the turmoil sits Sarah Ferguson herself. Lownie claims the Duchess of York, who still lives at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate with Prince Andrew, is engaged in 'tense' negotiations over her future role and financial safety net.
He suggests that Sarah Ferguson is effectively 'hunting for a royal pension,' with her continued discretion portrayed as having a cash value. 'That may be what Fergie's negotiating at the moment. Can she get a nice pension from them and not have to do an Oprah interview,' he said.
Source: International Business Times UK
