Sarah Ferguson Joins Ex Prince Andrew and Their Daughters for Palace Event

[TLLK]

Sarah Ferguson 'continually on verge of bankruptcy' - Telegraph

Desperate Sarah seeks an A-List bailout - Telegraph

IMHO Sarah's seemingly continual precarious financial situation is part of the reason that she has been more or less sidelined by the majority of the BRF. Her actions impact not only herself, the York family but those friends and business owners who are negatively impacted by this simple reason. Sarah continues to live beyond her means and she's done this for decades.

There is always an apology and a promise to do better, but she cannot stop herself from overspending when she has limited resources. Then she has to turn to Andrew and his less than savory acquaintances to pay off her debts.

[royalanthropologist]

She's so bad...she's good. I don't think Sarah understands a budget :hehe: It is an alien concept to her.

[sandy]

For all her mistakes, I have never thought that Sarah was malicious on any level. That is why I think she gets so many chances. People know that she has made mistakes but those mistakes are errors of judgment. She is not out to hurt anybody and is quite candid about what a mess she has been. I also like Sarah and defend her because I think the press were brutal to her. She was their target and someone has got to stand up for the underdog. I am willing to volunteer for her.

I don't think she was exactly sending a valentine to her husband when she was pictured with one of her lovers holding her baby daughter Bea. And the topless photos with the other financial advisers. It's almost like she flaunted her affairs and had contempt or indifference about her husband.

[Curryong]

Sarah is unpopular in Britain. Whenever I've been there or phoned or skyped home and something about her pops up, then about one person in ten says something favourable about her. To the rest she's a disgrace. And IMO she's long outworn her welcome in the public eye and any so-called loveable qualities she may believe she possesses have passed their use-by date.

Apart from her ex and daughters, who, except for the Queen, has any great sympathy for her within the BRF? She only squeezes into the CC on her ex husband's coat tails or because of the occasional visit to Balmoral. Greed has been much of the motivation for her later scandals and sexual attraction to wealthy Americans for her earlier ones. Neither of these seems to be admirable in the least, IMO.

[TLLK]

It's almost like she flaunted her affairs and had contempt or indifference about her husband.

I would say that this indifference seems to color her view of the wider world. When Sarah overspends and cannot pay her bills, she doesn't appear to understand that it impacts others as well. When she is caught on tape offering "access for cash" to her ex-husband, she seems to be unable to see how it will affect his reputation.

[amabel]

Poor Sarah has  no brains, really.  That's why I think some of us tend to forgive her because in spite of being silly and over spending she is nice natured and not malicious.  She just doesn't think at all. and its true that mostly in her days  as Princess she DID get a lot  of unkind press flak because she wasn't as pretty or fashionable as Diana.  She got intot financial trouble in the early years partly through helping out her widowed mother, but she also over spent just thorugh folly.

[Curryong]

^ You see, I don't see her as being 'nice-natured' and non-malicious. Andrew, who inidentally I think is a very dim, crass sort of person, did nothing to Sarah, allowing her full reign to travel, see her friends, party and everything else.

In exchange he got Sarah cheating on him with Steve Wyatt when her babies were very very small, followed by Johnny Bryant who she tried to persuade everyone was her 'financial adviser'. You don't think they were malicious acts against a man, her husband, who loved her, because I certainly do!

She was and is also a spendthrift, delusional about what she has done wrong and how it impacts on others (thinking it can all be put right with a mea culpa until the next time) and is a self-publicist.

She was completely unsuitable for Royal life and, apart from her weight issues, that was the main reason the press was so easily able to make fun of her. So I don't think she is 'nice' nor is she anyone to be pitied, in my honest opinion.

[royalanthropologist]

You say something very interesting about "weight issues". When someone is anorexic and has bulimia; the public and press generally want to garner sympathy for them. They are deemed to be sick and in need of help. However, if someone is fat; they are deemed to be irresponsible, ugly and to be condemned for their lifestyle. It is what it is. A pretty face will take you places.

[Curryong]

I never thought of Sarah as being 'fat'. It was the press who christened her 'The Duchess of Pork'. She was a big boned young woman with beautiful hair, who looked ungainly, was ungraceful and waddled when she walked. She dressed horrendously, even for the 1980's in garish colours and stripes which made her look dreadful. All of which Sarah could have done something about. Even today she dresses badly a lot of the time. 

[sandy]

Sarah also had the unflattering "big dresses with large shoulder pads" and also outlandish looking clothes.

[TLLK]

^^^@sandy-Remember that she wasn't the only one wearing those big shouldered suits, tops and dresses during those years. :P :lol:

Think of the popular tv shows and you'll see the adult female cast members all wearing them. (Designing Women, Golden Girls, Dynasty)
Double post auto-merged: May 03, 2017, 02:01:50 PM

I never thought of Sarah as being 'fat'. It was the press who christened her 'The Duchess of Pork'. She was a big boned young woman with beautiful hair, who looked ungainly, was ungraceful and waddled when she walked. She dressed horrendously, even for the 1980's in garish colours and stripes which made her look dreadful. All of which Sarah could have done something about. Even today she dresses badly a lot of the time. 

I never thought of her as fat either @Curryong.  She did have some questionable wardrobe selections though during those years. Since she's left the BRF I find that her choices tend to be sleeker and more professional.  I thought that her best look ever was on her wedding day. Her gown was beautifully fitted to her body and was very elegant IMHO. (Yes the beading was OTT, but it was the 1980's.)

She was and is also a spendthrift, delusional about what she has done wrong and how it impacts on others (thinking it can all be put right with a mea culpa until the next time) and is a self-publicist.

This is why I no longer have much respect  for Sarah.

[amabel]

As I recall Sophie Wessex left about 1M in debts too, but she's not attacked..
I think that sarah Is a silly woman and always will be but she's mostly harmless.  She's never going to change as regards money so anyone who lends it to her must expect it to disappear. 
She has no dress sense, little or no common sense and she usualy looks wrong.  But mostly she's more harm to herself than ot others...

[TLLK]

@amabel-Sophie's faced criticism over those debts, but unlike Sarah she appears to learn from her mistakes. If she didn't I'd criticize her too.

[amabel]

@amabel-Sophie's faced criticism over those debts, but unlike Sarah she appears to learn from her mistakes. If she didn't I'd criticize her too.

As far as I know Sopheie has never paid off her debts (whereas sarah HAS at least tried and cleared her frist big debt at least)?  and every time I've pointed out that Sophie isn't exactly a wonderful princess what wth the debts, the fake sheik thing etc I get attacked..
Sophie has been rescued by the RF and kept iwthin  their fold, and is doing royal duties.. Poor Sarah is just cut loose, I know shes' at fault, I'm not saying she's not.. but I think she does get attacked more because she hasn't got "royal protection", just as Diana got more criticism, bad press and harassment in general form paps once she had given up "being royal".
and also because she isn't a great beauty, or skinny and isn't much good at dressing or presenting herself.
I really find it hard to think that she's not a good natured if silly woman.  She has a problem with spending, and she finds it very hard to restrain herself, just as she over eats. and she's clearly never quite gotten over her own folly in leaving the RF, she's found (as Di might have found) that' without them she's very much "out in the open" iwht no protection.
I can see Royals point that if she's done some foolish things, they are not from malice as sometimes was the case with Diana (thtough I think her malice was generated through hurt).. but through sheer boneheaded stupidity.  She gave a lot of money to her mother when she was left badly off after her husband died, and she is basically kindly and not a bad person. She had affairs, and she was stupid in letting herself get caught.. but then she's not the first or last royal woman to have affairs.. its the way she got caught that probably annoyed the RF more.
But I don't agree that they have forgiven her, as I've said.  They have long since lost any patience with her nad she's now sidelined.  I tink the queen has forgiven her up to a point, partly fro Andrew's sake.. but the rest of them including Charles and Philip haven't and wont

[sandy]

Diana did not give up "being royal" she had two royal children and she would go to the many royal events involving them. Diana did not get more criticism. As a matter of fact, she was called "class" and Fergie "cash" in a People Magazine cover story. Diana was praised for her charity work and Fergie slammed for plugging her book.

Diana was fighting against malicious people including her own husband who slammed her through his biographer and she still is slammed by people sympathetic to the PRince.

I don't think what Fergie did was harmless, she no matter how it is sliced, hurt her husband by blatant cheating. That made the tabloids.

[TLLK]

Poor Sarah is just cut loose, I know shes' at fault, I'm not saying she's not.. but I think she does get attacked more because she hasn't got "royal protection", just as Diana got more criticism, bad press and harassment in general form paps once she had given up "being royal".

I agree @amabel that once both women were no longer working members of the BRF that the unpleasant side of the press was featured more prominently in their stories. Like Diana, Sarah continued her charity work but clearly something had changed after the divorce when it came to press coverage.

Unfortunately for Sarah much of her negative coverage is generated by her own actions and words. :(

[sandy]

Diana got positive press, Sarah didn't. Big difference in 1997.  William is the future King and Diana and Charles son. As mother of the heir to heir, Diana would have had more influence than Sarah for obvious reasons.

[TLLK]

Influence upon her son yes, but not really on the workings of the BRF. Like Snowdon, Mark Phillips and Sarah, Diana would no longer participate in royal events but would be limited to the family ones ie milestone ones like weddings.

[sandy]

Snowden, Mark Phillips and Sarah were and are not parents of a future monarch. Diana was.

[amabel]

Poor Sarah is just cut loose, I know shes' at fault, I'm not saying she's not.. but I think she does get attacked more because she hasn't got "royal protection", just as Diana got more criticism, bad press and harassment in general form paps once she had given up "being royal".

I agree @amabel that once both women were no longer working members of the BRF that the unpleasant side of the press was featured more prominently in their stories. Like Diana, Sarah continued her charity work but clearly something had changed after the divorce when it came to press coverage.

Unfortunately for Sarah much of her negative coverage is generated by her own actions and words. :(

I know she's her own worst enemy, poor Sarah, but she IS rather childish, and silly.. and she just never learns.  never will.  but her motives are not usually bad, she is greedy for money, but I thnk that's because being royal went to her rather weak head.. and she was expected to keep up a royal lifestyle and look glam for the press on a lot less money than Diana had access to.  So she got greedy and now has a spending habit.
but She never really turned on the RF the way Diana did, or aganst Andrew (of course she NEEDS him as well but even so I think there's a genuine fondness between them.. 
However the RF will never really forigive her and the press and public have lost interest in her and are negative.. and wont give her another chance

[sandy]

Diana did not turn on the royal family. Charles had his friends leak nasty stories to the media about Diana (in the 1980s). Sarah shot herself in the foot so there was no need for leaking stories. Andrew was more of a gentleman than Charles and never had stories leaked about his wife or gave interviews about never loving his wife.

[royalanthropologist]

Diana definitely did turn on the royal family. She leaked their secrets and conspired with closet republicans to attempt a coup on the succession. She continuously fought to upstage them after the separation and told lies about them in her book/interview. Sarah has many, many faults but she never did that.

I can tell you now that if I was the Queen (fat chance. lol :hehe:), there would have been lots of trouble for Diana after panorama. She would definitely have felt the freeze then. No responsible mother can allow her son's estranged wife to try and destroy him like that in public (trying to get him out of his job because he did not love her enough for example???). All things considered; the queen was quite patient and pragmatic. She consulted with the state actors (Prime Minister, Clergy, government). They were all in agreement that a divorce was the only way forward.

[LouisFerdinand]

Before he married her, did Prince Andrew know what Sarah's spending habits were like?

[Curryong]

^ No, I don't. Sarah and Andrew had quite a short dating period. I think Andrew was quite naive about money in the real world, as some members of the Royal family were in those days. Sarah has often remarked that she married someone who had never been in a shop. She probably exaggerated, but I do think that Andrew was not used to doing a lot of shopping. When they were engaged Sarah would suggest buying extravagant dinner services, tea sets and so on but I don't think Andrew picked up on that signal.

I believe Sarah had her head turned by marrying into the Royal family, and didn't consider what that actually meant in Andrew's case, ie living on his salary and what the Queen would give them each year.

[TLLK]

@LouisFerdinand -I agree with @Curryong's assessment of their financial situation which was far different than the Wales'.
Double post auto-merged: May 04, 2017, 09:27:48 PM

Snowden, Mark Phillips and Sarah were and are not parents of a future monarch. Diana was.

Should something dreadful have happened to the top members of the BRF, Beatrice would have been closer in the line of succession. As the divorced parents who were formerly married to one of the Queen's children or siblings they could have influence over their children's lives but not a real impact upon the workings of the BRF.

Yes they'd continue to be invited to private events or milestone ones like their child's wedding. However they'd never again participate in a  royal activities like a state visit, Trooping the Color, Garter Ceremony etc...That part of their lives had ended.