I guess I missed the memo that the whole Duchess of York scandal is something to be taken lightly. Oops.

At the Book Expo America event where she was a speaker, Sarah Ferguson referred to one of her children’s books in the series “Helping Hands” that warns against trusting strangers. “I suddenly realized that maybe I should take a leaf out of my own books”, she noted.

“One [of my books] is ‘Ashley Learns About Strangers,’ said Sarah. Without missing a beat, she continued, “Or Matthew and the Bullies’. Hmm.”

Her audience laughed, but whether it was knowingly or out of embarrassment for Sarah, I don’t know.

Lightly scolding herself for trusting a stranger and referencing bullies, these comments reveal that Sarah considers herself the victim and that her behavior is due to other people picking on her. This is a scary set-up that will allow her to blame others and move on without really learning anything. Surprise.

Her self-esteem is so low, Sarah reasons, that how could she not get caught up in such a scandal? It’s no wonder she fell for the News of the World’s tactics. Obviously she’s a penniless single mum just trying to get by and bullied because she’s oh-so-trusting.

Rubbish.

The Duchess’ mindset and actions prove that she will never learn from her mistakes, and even something this embarrassing will not stop her from careening further into vulgar disaster. Fergie will take down everyone and anyone to make a buck, pound or dinar – whatever country she happens to be in at the time. No one is safe, not even her daughters.

I think it’s high time someone takes back the Duchess of York title during the tete-a-tete at Royal Lodge today. It’s going to need retirement for at least a generation to clean the slime off of it.

A former Duchess of York: discreet, elegant, and a real Queen

It had been barely a week since my Anglotopia article detailing Fergie’s financial woes when a video cropped up all over the internet showing the Duchess making a dirty deal – shaking hands with a ‘businessman’ looking to gain favor with Prince Andrew and cash in on royal connections.

Some could say that Sarah did the right thing by moving in with Andrew and their daughters to live as a united family, regardless of finances. I was far more suspicious about such an arrangement, and as it turns out, I had every right to be. Sarah has been living with the Duke of York and their two girls, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, because she cannot afford her own home. The money she does have gets spent immediately on chauffers, security, and first-class everything. It won’t last long – the Duchess’s sources of income are drying up rapidly.

Sarah’s New York-based wellness company Hartmoor died out with debts of over £600,000 last year, and Sarah herself has unpaid bills amounting to almost £200,000 from book and movie deals that fell through. She doesn’t even own a home; instead, Sarah lives with her ex-husband and their daughters.

These financial dire straits led the Duchess to sell out the Duke himself, telling an undercover reporter posing as a businessman: “I can open any door for you,” and promising the ‘businessman’ personal access to the Prince in exchange for money, says the Telegraph.

The situation is reminiscent of Sophie, Countess of Wessex’s embarrassment when she made amusing remarks about various government officials, including royal family members. The Countess also mentioned that being a client of her public relations company could get people extra attention.

“The chances are you’ll get people interested: ‘Oh gosh, they’ve employed the Countess of Wessex’s PR company,’” Sophie told the faux sheik.

But while Sophie was naive in a bit of gossip, Sarah’s situation is more dire. Her willingness to give up private information on her ex-husband means that she could potentially reveal things about other Royal Family members that could lead to a security problem.

The Queen is sure to be severely disappointed. It was reported in Autumn 2008 that Sarah had vacationed with the Royals at Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish retreat. It looked as though she was back in the family’s good graces. It had taken some time – the last holiday at Balmoral for Sarah had been in 1992 when she was banished for being captured on film having her toes sucked by John Bryan, her “financial adviser”.

Does this mean the end of the Duchess of York title for Sarah Ferguson? After this, I should certainly hope so.

Kids or Cash-Cows?

[UPDATE] In the Guardian, James Whitaker blames the Queen for giving Sarah a relatively small sum in her divorce from Prince Andrew. In fact, a few people have laid blame at Her Majesty’s feet. One commenter wrote: “Fergie was treated shabbily by the royals in the divorce settlement. She is the mother of the queen’s grandchildren”. But think of this: if your daughter-in-law had just spent you under the table, and had continued to behave in such a manner, would you be willing to give her even more money to blow annually? Giving her more is not the answer. If anything, the Queen should’ve forbidden Sarah’s use of “Duchess of York” and hired a scrupulous accountant for her instead. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have a trust, so they don’t have to worry. Well, now that Sarah’s blown through it all, I guess they do. D’oh!

Up Next at RoyaltyNow!:

* Imposing a gag order on Kate Middleton
* Possible Majesty magazine(s) review
* No Mo’ Fergie
…… and more!

I’m sure you all remember the “bouncy” redhead who was the “breath of fresh air” for the Royal Family. Well, she’s at it again.

Sarah Margaret Ferguson was deemed the perfect match for the Queen’s son, Prince Andrew, whom she married in 1986. Sarah was loved by the Queen and the other members of the family for her eagerness to ride, her enthusiasm for public engagements, and her bawdy jokes.

After a few years the laughter turned to embarrassed coughs and averted eyes. As HRH The Duchess of York, Sarah nabbed freebies, pulled rank, went on extensive holidays, and sent the bill to the Queen for the privilege of it all. She was soon branded the “Duchess of Do Little”, compared unfavorably to the hardworking Princess Anne and the stylish Diana.

A blatant extramarital fling that hit the front pages was the last straw. Sarah soon found herself at a dead end in the Royal family and she had no other recourse but to divorce the Duke. Sarah was banished from Balmoral and stripped of the HRH title, fleeing to America to escape the brutal British media.

Sarah eventually paid back her debts to the Queen in very unconventional ways: she became a spokeswoman, a product developer, and a co-author of various royal-themed books. Sarah earned so much money from endorsements and other ventures that she eventually wiped her debts completely clean.

After years of polishing her image, Sarah was invited back to Balmoral in August 2008. The weekend holiday was intended as a celebration of Princess Beatrice’s birthday. Fergie was finally back in the fold … or so it seemed.

Unfortunately, Sarah did not remain the low-key, responsible woman she was forced to become over those years. She fooled everyone, including the Queen, who is probably now kicking herself for thinking that people change.

The Duchess of York is a title dear to Her Majesty’s heart. Her beloved mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, was the previous Duchess who became the nation’s symbolic backbone during World War II as Queen.

Her Majesty was once little Princess Elizabeth of York, and her sister was Margaret Rose of York. Her father, Prince Albert, referred to their happy little family as “Us Four”. The Queen spent her happiest pre-war days as a York Princess. How it must pain her to see the title squandered in such a manner by the greedy and publicity starved Sarah Ferguson.

I pray endlessly that the title, now portrayed as a symbol of farce and irresponsibility, will be freed from the grasp of this woman.

A Selection of Horrors:

Sarah launched an undercover campaign to highlight the horrific conditions in Turkish orphanages. By doing so, she broke the country’s strict privacy laws and dragged the Royal family into a highly sensitive issue with a foreign nation. While the documentary was a noble feat, she has caused considerable diplomatic tensions between the United Kingdom and Turkey.

Court papers show that Sarah is still not as good with money as previously thought: she owes thousands of pounds to an accountancy firm, a solicitor and a family-run photographic printing company.

Her documentary entitled The Duchess on the Estate has critics panning her for being “patronizing” and “Victorian” in her manner, using other people’s misery to slake her thirst for publicity and making the Manchester housing estate look worse than it is.

Now Sarah admits she might go on the TV shopping network QVC: “Tommy Hilfiger has a line of clothes he wants me to work with but so far the deal hasn’t been set,” she said toCindy Adams of the New York Post.

Love is in the heir for Sweden’s Princess Victoria AND her sister Princess Madeleine. Now Britons are really getting impatient for their own future sovereign to walk down the aisle. Thankfully, they may not have to wait too much longer.

Word on the street is that Kate Middleton has climbed another rung on the royal ladder. The 27-year-old girlfriend of Prince William of Wales is reportedly being taught how to be a “fully-fledged” princess and member of the royal family. This means Kate has moved up a level from “in waiting” to “in training”, indicating that a British royal wedding may not be far away.

We all remember the issues William’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales had when she married into the royal family. Even though she came from an old aristocratic English family, Lady Di could not cope with the pressure. The prince’s aunt, Sarah Ferguson, also struggled to cope when she married Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Sarah could not spend money nor get embroiled in a passionate affair fast enough. The marriage imploded after 6 years.

With these two previous women in mind, the Palace has made darn sure that Kate Middleton will make a smooth transition from commoner to a true princess. She will be the next Queen of England, barring any unforseen tragedies or abdications. Kate needs to be a capable consort, able to fill the Queen Mother’s perfect shoes.

via Monsters and Critics

Princess Eugenie is reportedly headed to Argentina to work on her mother’s family estate during her gap year.

The princess, 18,  is the younger daughter of the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

Sarah Ferguson’s mother, Susan Barrantes, lived in Argentina with her second husband Hector where they had their own farm. Sadly, Mrs. Barrantes was killed in a road accident in the country in 1998, and Eugenie has not returned to South America since the incident.

Now, however, Eugenie wants to take the time to go back and to perhaps pay a visit to the resting place of her grandmother and step-grandfather.

via Telegraph.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen… lend me your artwork!

Yes, the art pages have returned! “Mandy’s Royal Artists” was a series of pages featuring the public’s works of art based on a royal theme. Found on Mandy’s British Royalty several years ago, the pages were lost during the website’s transfer to a new server. Now they return in the form of an art blog.

If you have previously entered work but don’t see it here, there is a chance it has disappeared. Please resend.

If you would like to submit anew, please see the “About” page to contact me. You can send a scan of your work (in any medium) to be featured here. No more than 3 please.

Castles, Queens, and Culture Captured in Art. Send in Yours. Now at http://mandysroyalty.org/artists