Prince Andrew allegedly insulted Sarah Ferguson’s appearance during a private lunch, according to a royal author who claims their long-standing bond hides a far more complicated and tense dynamic behind palace doors.
A royal author has claimed the relationship between Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson has been far more strained behind closed doors than they have publicly suggested over the years.
In her bestselling book The Palace Papers, journalist Tina Brown alleges that Andrew once made a cruel and humiliating remark about his ex-wife’s appearance during a lunch at Royal Lodge in 2015.
According to the account, he entered the room while Ferguson was dining with a visiting media executive from the US and reportedly referred to her using an offensive insult. The witness was said to be left stunned by the comment, later suggesting it hinted at a dynamic in which Ferguson appeared uneasy around her former husband.
Andrew and Ferguson divorced in the mid-1990s following a series of high-profile scandals involving infidelity, but remained unusually close in the decades that followed. They frequently described themselves as the “happiest divorced couple in the world” and continued to live together at Royal Lodge, near Windsor Castle, for many years.
Despite this outward show of unity, Brown claims their relationship has been more complicated, describing it as “symbiotic” — with each appearing to rely on the other for support during times of difficulty.
Ferguson has faced well-documented financial struggles over the years, and Brown suggests Andrew often stepped in to assist. In return, Ferguson has consistently defended him in public, including during the fallout from his association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew has repeatedly denied allegations linked to the scandal, while Ferguson has described him as a “kind, great man” and said she stands by him with “integrity and loyalty.”
Additional claims about Andrew’s behaviour have emerged in other recent books, including one by historian Andrew Lownie. His work alleges the duke was known for rude outbursts, crude jokes and humiliating pranks, including verbally abusing staff and embarrassing guests at social gatherings. Former aides reportedly described him as abrupt and demanding, in stark contrast to other members of the Royal Family.
While Andrew and Ferguson have long presented a united and amicable front in public, these accounts paint a more complicated and, at times, uncomfortable picture of their private relationship — one marked by loyalty, dependence and underlying tension.
Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE

You must be logged in to post a comment Login