A royal author claims Sarah Ferguson’s ‘chaotic’ lifestyle left staff weeping in toilets, as they found it difficult to deal with her ‘capricious’ nature
Sarah Ferguson’s “absolutely chaotic” lifestyle has been laid bare by a royal expert who claims her staff were left weeping in toilets due to her demanding behaviour. The former Duchess of York’s employees allegedly struggled to cope with her “capricious” nature, leading to rock-bottom morale and high staff turnover.
Biographer Andrew Lownie, author of ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’, has spoken out about the behind-the-scenes turmoil.
According to Lownie, Fergie’s unpredictable attitude made life miserable for those working under her. He said: “She couldn’t make up her mind. She changed her mind at the last minute.”
The author alleged that the atmosphere was so toxic that fresh recruits would regularly break down or walk out almost immediately. Lownie claimed people were weeping in bathrooms and quitting after working for “half a day.”
He added: “Very few people stayed, and if they did, it was a sort of 24-hour-a-day job because she has this extraordinary energy and she would be flying off in different places, not very organised.”
The royal biographer also took aim at the Duchess’s alleged habit of wasting food, claiming chefs would cook elaborate dishes only for Fergie to change her plans. Lownie said there were “various meals being prepared and then actually not having any of them.”
He slammed it as a “huge waste,” adding: “It’s extraordinary…everything has to be new…just this Marie Antoinette kind of life, you know, easy come, easy go.”
The 66-year-old mother to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie has seen her life thrown into absolute chaos in recent years alongside her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
Despite divorcing in 1996, the pair continued to cohabit at Royal Lodge, with Fergie frequently boasting they were the “happiest divorced couple in the world.” However, the pair were stripped of their royal titles and forced out of the mansion.
Things took a turn in February when Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday. He is accused of misconduct in public office over allegations he forwarded confidential trade documents to dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Fergie was also dragged into the mud when embarrassing emails emerged showing her begging Epstein for cash, calling him a “legend” and joking, “Just marry me.”
Lownie labelled the former Weight Watchers ambassador as “very manipulative,” claiming she was always “playing off people against each other.”
He added: “These people kind of got dragged into her crazy schemes, designing a lingerie range, setting up an artist colony in the Bahamas.”
The author further alleged that her business ventures were often “about trying to fleece someone out of some money.”
The former Duchess has recently been lying low in the Swiss Alps following months of intense public scrutiny.
A source told The Sun: “Fergie has been keeping an incredibly low profile while high up in the Alps. The area is absolutely beautiful and it’s very quiet most of the time, so it’s the perfect place for a high-profile figure such as her to lie low when the heat is on.”
It marks her first public sighting since September 16, 2025, when she attended the funeral of Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral. Ferguson’s representatives have been approached for comment.
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