Sarah Ferguson 'angling for a royal pension' in exchange for her silence, author claims

Sarah Ferguson is reportedly angling for a 'royal pension' in exchange for her silence, claims a royal author who wrote the bombshell book about the former Duchess of York and her ex husband.

Andrew Lownie, whose biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York caused shockwaves when it was released in August 2025, just two months before Andrew's shocking fall from grace, told The Mirror Fergie might be "negotiating" for a "nice pension" in exchange for not taking part in a tell-all Oprah-style interview.

Lownie, a biographer and historian, spent four years researching his book, which lifted the lid on Andrew's long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, taxpayer-funded overseas trips and other wild claims about the former prince's sex life, including his penchant for sex workers.

A new paperback edition of the book was released this week and featured further allegations about the former couple, including that Ferguson had an affair with Sean 'Diddy' Combs.

Lownie told The Mirror she was likely negotiating whether she had a continued place in the royal orbit, or would be left entirely out in the cold.

"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. 

Lownie also said the role of the couple's two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, also remained under the microscope.

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Lownie repeated past claims both sisters were asked to submit to a financial audit by King Charles and Prince William, but refused.

He told The Mirror a long-serving personal assistant to Ferguson once told him she saw every social interaction as a "business opportunity" and he believes "this culture has been passed down to the daughters as well".

His comments come after Eugenie, who is expecting her third child, stepped down as patron of an anti-slavery charity she has been involved with for seven years.

According to the BBC, Eugenie's departure from Anti-Slavery International came after the Charity Commission confirmed it was "assessing concerns" about a separate charity, The Anti-Slavery Collective, which the princess co-founded in 2017.

Then last week, the BBC reported The Charity Commission had opened another case into the Anti-Slavery Collective over concerns relating to spending.

It was previously reported Prince William had asked Eugenie to allow The Anti-Slavery Collective to have its financials checked out, but she declined.

He reportedly also asked both Eugenie and Beatrice to have their personal finances and investments undergo an "ethics check".

Royal correspondent Richard Palmer told the Daily Mirror in March there had long been questions about how the sisters funded their lifestyles.

It is not suggested either princess was involved in any illegal activity.

However, he thought the time would come when they lost their titles.

Lownie agreed, telling the Mirror, "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.

"I think it's a very schizophrenic relationship at the moment with the royals and Beatrice and Eugenie.

"One minute they're very publicly being told they're not going to be invited to Ascot, then they are going.

"You get the sense of distancing and I think there's possibly two schools of thought here.

"There's Camilla, William and Kate, who see the reputational damage and want to keep them at arm's length, and then there's Charles, who is a bit sentimental and feels obligated to be protective.

"He might be under pressure from Andrew, because I think a deal was done to get him out of Royal Lodge that said, 'We'll take care of your daughters'.

"So he would be kind of torn and can't go back on that deal."

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