Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has apologised after a News of the World sting operation allegedly caught her offering access to her former husband, Prince Andrew, in exchange for £500,000. The undercover reporter, Mazher Mahmood, known as the 'fake sheik', recorded the duchess in a Mayfair apartment last Tuesday.
In the recording, Ferguson is heard telling the supposed businessman that the payment would 'open up everything you would ever wish for' and that she could 'open any door you want'. She claimed Prince Andrew had suggested the figure and was aware of the meeting, though the Duke of York has 'categorically' denied any knowledge.
Ferguson expressed regret, stating she was 'devastated by the situation' and that her financial stress was 'no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment'. Her public relations adviser said she was horrified by the duchess's naivety and had not been informed of the meeting. Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The duchess, who divorced Prince Andrew in 1996, has faced financial difficulties and a history of public misjudgments. Her £15,000-a-year divorce settlement was modest, and she has been living at Royal Lodge in Windsor with her ex-husband, describing them as 'the happiest divorced couple in the world'.
