Thousands of copies of Sarah Ferguson's new children's book, Flora and Fern: Kindness Along the Way, have been withdrawn from sale and pulped following renewed scrutiny over her links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The book, originally scheduled for publication on 9 October and later postponed to 20 November, has now been removed entirely from publication schedules, with printed copies reportedly sent for recycling.
Publishing sources confirmed the move, with one insider telling the Daily Mail: 'It's not been delayed, it's being pulped. It's an acknowledgment of the inevitable. No one is going to want to buy it.' The title has disappeared from the publisher's website and is no longer listed on major retailers such as Waterstones and Amazon. Planned in-person readings and bookshop appearances have also been cancelled.
The scandal follows a difficult period for Ferguson, 66, who earlier this month lost the title Sarah, Duchess of York after King Charles stripped Prince Andrew of his remaining titles. She is also expected to lose her long-term home at Royal Lodge in Windsor. Ferguson has not publicly commented on the book's withdrawal.
The former duchess has published over 50 books, mostly children's titles, over several decades. Her latest was a sequel to last year's Flora and Fern: Wonder in the Woods, about two rabbits learning kindness and community. She has also written romantic fiction and a 2011 memoir, Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself.
In September, the Mail on Sunday published emails from 2011 in which Ferguson privately described Epstein as her 'supreme friend' and apologised for 'letting him down', despite publicly calling her association with him 'a gigantic error of judgment'. The messages were sent less than two months after she had insisted she would never have anything to do with Epstein again. A spokesperson for Ferguson said she had been compelled to write the emails because Epstein had threatened her. The scandal has led to Ferguson being dropped by numerous charities.
