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Sarah Ferguson’s spokesperson appeared to shut down the memoir story completely last Friday. The statement was brief, direct, and seemingly designed to end the speculation. But only a few days later, a woman who describes herself as Sarah’s friend appeared on British television and offered a very different version of events.
So, has Sarah’s own friend just contradicted her spokesperson? Could Sarah actually be considering a book that reveals her side of the story? And if she is, who would she be talking about?
Welcome back to British Royal Family. Before we continue, keep two things in mind. First, Sarah’s friend has actually named the subjects she claims Sarah wants to discuss, and one of those subjects could be particularly significant for Prince William. We’ll get to that shortly.
Second, this would not be Sarah’s first memoir. The last time she published an autobiography about her life, it reportedly damaged one of the closest friendships she had ever had.
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The speculation began in late September when The Sun reported that Sarah was supposedly only days away from securing a seven-figure publishing agreement. The newspaper claimed several American publishers were competing for her story. According to publishing sources quoted by the paper, Sarah’s private notes were considered compelling, and potential publishers believed there was considerable interest in hearing her version of events.
One source reportedly portrayed Sarah as an eternal optimist who believed she could eventually be forgiven and welcomed back into royal circles.
The Sun also claimed Sarah wanted to correct what she believed were misconceptions surrounding her life, particularly the controversy involving Jeffrey Epstein.
But just days later, Sarah’s representatives pushed back strongly.
On Friday, September 25, a spokesperson told The Independent that Sarah Ferguson was not close to signing a multimillion-dollar publishing deal. The spokesperson also said she had no intention of writing a tell-all memoir and that there had been no discussions about such a project.
In other words, according to her official team, there was no deal, no negotiations, and no personal memoir in progress.
That seemed to settle the matter.
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But this was not the first time Sarah had reportedly been linked to a memoir.
Earlier in March, the Daily Mail claimed she had approached major American publishers about a tell-all book and was seeking an advance of around $2 million. According to that report, publishers had rejected the proposal, with one source suggesting they did not want to appear to be profiting from the Epstein controversy.
So the reports have been remarkably contradictory. One story suggested publishers were refusing to work with Sarah, another claimed they were competing to sign her, while her own spokesperson now says there is no memoir at all.
Then came the television appearance that reopened everything.
The woman at the center of it is Lizzie Cundy, a television personality and former model who has known Sarah for years.
Appearing on Channel 5’s Storm and Alexis, Lizzie was asked directly about the possibility of Sarah writing a book.
Her answer was striking.
Lizzie claimed that Sarah does want to tell her side of the story because, in her view, too many people have spoken about Sarah without actually knowing the truth.
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Then she identified the subjects Sarah allegedly wants to address.
Among them were Diana, Harry, and Meghan.
Lizzie also claimed there was interest not only in a possible book, but in an interview with Sarah herself. According to her account, Sarah wants the opportunity to explain her side of events.
Those names alone would make any potential memoir highly significant.
Princess Diana’s death remains deeply personal for the royal family, particularly Prince William and Prince Harry. Any account from someone who knew Diana personally could attract enormous attention.
Harry and Meghan would also be major subjects because of their complicated relationship with the wider royal family and the many public disputes surrounding their departure from royal duties.
Lizzie further suggested that Sarah has learned important lessons from what happened to Prince Andrew and described her as someone who believes in making comebacks.
However, there is an important distinction to make.
These are Lizzie Cundy’s claims, not Sarah Ferguson’s own words.
Sarah has not publicly confirmed that she is writing a memoir, and her spokesperson has specifically denied that she is preparing a tell-all book.
There is also no confirmed publishing agreement publicly established by these statements.
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The Epstein controversy remains central to the speculation.
In 2011, Sarah acknowledged that Epstein had helped clear some of her debts with a payment of £15,000. She later described accepting the assistance as a serious error of judgment.
Then, years later, a private email emerged in which Sarah apologized to Epstein for public comments she had made and described him in highly favorable terms. Her spokesperson explained that the message had been written after Epstein threatened legal action against her and emphasized that Sarah regretted her association with him.
Several charities subsequently distanced themselves from her. Among them were Julia’s House and Teenage Cancer Trust, which Sarah had supported for decades.
Later reports concerning documents connected to Epstein brought renewed attention to Sarah’s communications with him, including messages in which she used deeply affectionate language and discussed financial assistance.
All of this unfolded as Prince Andrew’s own public position deteriorated.
Andrew eventually lost his royal titles, while Sarah stopped using the title Duchess of York. The couple also had to leave Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Sarah did not remain with Andrew at his new residence. For several months, she spent time abroad, including in Switzerland, Portugal, and the Middle East.
Andrew was later arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, although he was released without charge and denies wrongdoing.
Sarah eventually returned to Britain, with commentators pointing to her family as an important reason.
Her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, both have young children. Beatrice has daughters Sienna and Athena, while Eugenie has sons August and Ernest. Eugenie also welcomed another daughter, Adelaide, earlier this year.
That brings Sarah back to Britain—and apparently back into speculation about whether she could tell her story again.
Because Sarah has done this before.
In 1996, around the time of her divorce from Andrew, she published her autobiography, My Story. At the time, she was dealing with significant financial problems, and reports suggested she received a substantial publishing advance.
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