After a cavalcade of scandals and gaffes, Sarah Ferguson must surely now have used up her last chance, according to royal expert Richard Eden

13:08, Thu, Feb 12, 2026 Updated: 13:22, Thu, Feb 12, 2026

Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief - Haiti NYC, 2010 - Runway

Ferguson has shown the ability to bounce back from scandal after scandal (Image: Getty)

After years of failed money-making ventures involving Sarah Ferguson, royal commentator Richard Eden says two photographs capture the former Duchess of York’s dramatic rise and decline.

Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, Eden described what he called “an obvious and frankly pitiful comparison” between an upbeat image of Ferguson crouching beside a model of her children’s character Budgie the Helicopter outside Bloomingdale’s in New York and a later photograph taken on her 50th birthday in 2009, where she appeared markedly diminished.

He likened the earlier moment to the ever-optimistic Del Boy from the sitcom Only Fools and Horses, saying the Budgie launch recalled “Del Boy all gassed up for his next infallible jackpot scheme.”

By contrast, the later image suggested the familiar end-of-episode realisation when “it suddenly hits Del Boy like a ton of bricks that the roof just fell in on his latest screwball venture.”

Despite multiple financial setbacks over the years, Ferguson has repeatedly resurfaced. Royal biographer Andrew Lownie — author of Entitled which examines the lives of Ferguson and her former husband Prince Andrew — told the Express: “she’s a tough nut, and she’ll be back.” Eden, however, believes the most recent controversy could prove decisive, describing it as “surely the last time.”

Duchess Of York Sarah Ferguson Attends Book Signing

This image typified Fergie on the rise, Richard says (Image: Getty Images)

The renewed scrutiny follows the emergence of emails Ferguson sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein  between 2009 and 2011. In the messages, she appealed for financial help, jokingly suggested marriage and wrote that she felt “very traumatised and alone.”

Her representatives have said she was “taken in” by Epstein, condemned him once the full extent of his crimes became known, and that the emails were written on advice in an attempt to placate him after alleged threats.

However, the correspondence — which frequently referenced her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie — has been interpreted by critics as indicating a continuing closeness to Epstein even after his imprisonment for sex offences.

Celebrity Sightings In London - October 15, 2009

It was a downbeat duchess snapped after her 50th birthday party (Image: FilmMagic)

Financial dependence appears to have played a significant role in sustaining the relationship. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Ferguson acknowledged allowing Epstein to clear £15,000 of her debts, while stressing: “Whenever I can I will repay the money and will have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”

According to Richard Eden, longstanding difficulties in controlling her finances ultimately contributed to her repeated controversies. He argued: “She seemed to have spent her life seeking for the easy way to easy money, followed by delivering easy excuses when everything fell apart.”

The Funeral Of The Duchess Of Kent

Ferguson has long depended on her ex-husband's connections (Image: Getty)

Ferguson has long benefited from a public perception of having a “heart of gold” beneath her sometimes clumsy persona. But Richard Eden is unconvinced. “Was Sarah Ferguson the Del Boy Duchess, a Wheeler dealer with a heart of gold?” he asks, before answering bluntly: “Short answer, no, she wasn’t.”

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He adds: “Would someone with a ‘heart of gold’ associate with, apologise to, or even consider bringing their teenage daughter to meet a convicted sex offender? Hell no. And the consequences of that profound failing in the ex-duchess have ultimately come home to roost for what is surely the last time.”

Eden warns that any future image rehabilitation would reflect more on those who forgave her than on Ferguson herself. “If somehow Sarah Ferguson was to manage to make one final miraculous comeback, that one will be on us, not her.”