Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was filmed offering to sell access to ex-husband Prince Andrew for £500,000, a newspaper claimed today.
The News of the World said the duchess promised to introduce an undercover reporter posing as a wealthy businessman to the Prince, who has been the United Kingdom's special representative for international trade and investment since 2001.
The paper claims she was filmed on Tuesday night accepting a $40,000 cash down-payment and it quotes her as saying: “I can open any door you want.” It alleges she asked for the main £500,000 payment to be wired to her UK bank account.
"She is devastated by the story and deeply regrets the situation and any embarrassment it has caused," Ms Ferguson's spokeswoman told Reuters, when asked for reaction from the duchess, known as "Fergie" and no stranger to controversy.
The News of the World said the prince, the second son of Queen Elizabeth and fourth in line to the throne, knew nothing about his former wife's claims. Buckingham Palace was not available to comment on the footage.
In the tape filmed on Tuesday, flame-haired Ferguson, over wine and a cigarette, makes it clear that her former husband "never does accept a penny for anything". However, the sting, by a well-known tabloid reporter, is nonetheless likely to cause embarrassment for the prince and royal family.
On the video soundtrack, the duchess apparently tells the undercover reporter: “£500,000 when you can, to me, open doors”.
“He knows that he’s had to underwrite me up to now because I’ve got no money. So if you want to meet him in your business, look after me and he’ll look after you . . . you’ll get it back tenfold.”
The paper claims the 50-year-old duchess met the fake businessman on two occasions - first at a New York hotel and then at the exclusive Mosimann’s dining club in Belgravia, London.
It said she was then chauffeured with the reporter to a Mayfair flat where she was shown on the video apparently shaking on a deal to introduce him to her former husband.
The duke and duchess of York divorced in 1996 but have remained close friends. According to the paper, the duchess spoke of their relationship, saying: “We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world.”
Agencies