Sarah Ferguson's Lavish Spending Habits Revealed in New Reports
Sarah Ferguson, once famously dubbed the 'Duchess of Excess', accumulated staggering debts through her extravagant lifestyle, with recent disclosures highlighting how she turned to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein for financial bailouts. The former Duchess of York, now essentially homeless after being evicted from Royal Lodge alongside ex-husband Prince Andrew, faces a precarious financial future as business opportunities dwindle and friends distance themselves.
Epstein's Financial Lifeline and Desperate Pleas
Newly surfaced emails from the Epstein files reveal desperate pleas for cash from Sarah Ferguson. While she previously admitted borrowing £15,000 from the convicted sex offender, the documents suggest she requested additional sums, including $50,000 (£37,240) and $100,000 (£78,475) to cover 'small bills'. In 2009, after a business venture collapsed, she urgently wrote to Epstein seeking £20,000 for rent, warning that the landlord threatened to go to the newspapers. Reports indicate Epstein may have bankrolled her for up to 15 years, with estimates suggesting total support reaching £2 million.
Extravagant Expenditures and Wasteful Habits
Andrew Lownie's 2025 biography, 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York', details Ferguson's reckless spending during her marriage. She allegedly spent £65,000 on a personal trainer used only twice, ran up a £51,000 bill at Selfridges via personal shopper Pandora Delevigne, and spent £14,000 in a month at a London wine merchant. Her excesses included £6,500 in unpaid charges for using Queen Elizabeth's special mail service to send opulent gifts like silver letter openers and cufflinks.
Bizarre Demands and Daily ExtravaganceStaff members described nightly feasts featuring a whole side of beef, leg of lamb, and chicken, often wasted after meals with her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie. Ferguson reportedly missed non-refundable flights, incurring thousands in costs, and arrived at airports with 25 suitcases, paying up to £4,000 in excess baggage fees. Five cases were packed solely with toiletries and makeup, while another contained only clothes hangers.
Royal Bailouts and Financial Downfall
The late Queen Elizabeth II previously bailed Ferguson out when Coutts bank demanded £500,000 within 14 days. However, her spending caught up with her: a newsagent refused service over a £500 unpaid bill, and creditors included a local butcher, dry cleaning company, and car hire firm. Even her BP petrol card was confiscated due to arrears.
Domestic Excesses at Sunninghill EstateAt the 50,000-acre Sunninghill Estate, staff revealed bizarre requirements: all underwear meticulously ironed, laundry rewashed if it lacked her preferred fabric conditioner scent, and two hot water bottles placed nightly with water measured to exact temperatures. Freshly squeezed orange juice had to be prepared precisely as she sat down, or she would refuse it. The household spent £300 weekly on Waitrose vegetables, stocked freezers with untouched ice creams, and even cooked proper dinners like liver or sausages with gravy for their Jack Russell, Bendicks.
Failed Business Ventures and Current Predicament
In 2009, Ferguson pursued a $1 million endorsement deal with Cunard Line, seeking $250,000 per cruise four times annually, but it failed. Despite past financial recoveries through Weight Watchers ads, QVC product sales, Loose Women appearances, and saucy novels, her net worth is now reportedly £745,000—insufficient for a terrace property in Windsor. With charities cutting ties and her children's book withdrawn, Ferguson's wild spending habits have left her without a safety net, exiled from royal life and struggling to secure a new home.
