Sarah Ferguson: Expert says royal tried to 'use' Prince Andrew

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

The Duchess of York said she drew inspiration from the anti-apartheid revolutionary amid her struggles in the public eye and with the Firm. In an interview with Town & Country magazine, Fergie revealed how she had once considered suing Mazher Mahmood, the former News of the World journalist who engineered a 2010 sting that destroyed her reputation.

However, she said upon reflecting on the actions of Nelson Mandela, decided not to carry on with legal proceedings.

She said: “One day I got up and thought, [Nelson] Mandela forgave his persecutors; surely I can forgive and move forward.”

Mr Mahmood’s undercover operation caught the Duchess on camera promising access to Prince Andrew in exchange for £500,000.

The Duchess of York launched a legal battle over the sting in 2016 claiming she had been tricked by Mahmood.

However, she later abandoned her claim and attempt to win £40million in compensation in 2019.

In the interview, Fergie also discussed how she wished her father had not written his ‘tell-all’ memoir.

In ‘The Galloping Major: My Life in Singular Times’, published in 1994 after Sarah and Andrew’s divorce, Major Ronald Ferguson wrote of how the Firm wanted to excise the Ferguson Family from its midst.

He wrote: “The impression was that [Prince Philip] had been advised to perform a royal version of ethnic cleansing by getting rid of the Ferguson family from his circle.”

Fergie said of the memoir: “I never read that book.

“I felt that it would have been better that he hadn’t written it.”

In the article, writer Andrew Goldman suggested: “If there’s one consistent theme in Ferguson’s story, it’s the disappointments and betrayals she has weathered.”

Her interview comes as she prepares to release her first romance novel, ‘Her Heart for a Compass’, based on the historical romance of her own great-great aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott.

DON’T MISS: 
Queen flees England to escape Megxit row as Harry ‘cancels’ own invite [INSIGHT]
Harry’s book ‘not truthful’ as Duke ‘would look terrible’ [SPOTLIGHT]
Queen flees England to escape Megxit row as Harry ‘cancels’ own invite [REVEAL]

“I wanted to write a novel for years and years and was searching for the right story,” she told People magazine.

“I was looking into my family history and I was struck by the fact that we shared a name: Margaret is my middle name.

“Since very little more information was easily found about her, it seemed she would be an ideal vehicle for me to weave my story around.”

Source: Read Full Article