By Molly Claire Goddard
9:50am PST, Feb 27, 2026
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According to journalist
Simon Kelner, Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's philosophy about using their former status for cash became clear after the reporter had dinner with the ex-Duchess of York. "She seemed to think that it was enough just to be herself and here of course lies the problem for the royal family," he wrote for
I Paper. "Exposure of how Andrew and Ferguson attempted to monetize being a royal and were, to a large extent, indulged while doing so, shows a hypocrisy at the heart of the House of Windsor."
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Simon Kelner claimed Sarah Ferguson — who needed to fund her own luxurious lifestyle after her 1996 divorce from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — "exhibited very little of what you might call a world-view" when it came to money.
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Despite The Firm's modesty, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson landed in "that limbo land between celebrity and royalty," Simon Kelner said.
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However, Sarah Ferguson reportedly put herself in millions of dollars of debt trying to keep up with the elite. "How is it even possible to get that much in debt without people calling in the men in white coats?" Simon Kelner questioned, while asking how no one from the royal family tried to "take her into protective custody."
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Simon Kelner blamed The Firm for not helping Sarah Ferguson navigate post-royal life. "Did all those around her, and particularly her former husband [Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor], think that, as a member of the extended royal family, she was protected, like they are, from the financial exigencies of the real world?" he questioned.
