Simon Kelner reveals Sarah Ferguson’s big problem after private dinner with ex-duchess
She spent the whole time talking about weight loss, but her guest noticed something far more interesting.
A guest of a private dinner with Sarah Ferguson has revealed the former duchess’ one big problem as public scrutiny over her connection to Jeffrey Epstein surges on.
Ms Ferguson has always faced criticism for both her own, and her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s close relationship with the convicted paedophile.
But in recent months, the ex-duchess has come under fire for her purported “friendship” with Epstein after emails in which she called him a “brother” and a “pillar” were made public by the US Department of Justice.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Now, Simon Kelner, a columnist for The I Paper has revealed Ms Ferguson’s one fatal flaw.
Writing about a dinner he had with the ex-duchess at The Hilton in London back in 2000, Mr Kelner shares the contents of their conversation and what he took away from it.
He said Ms Ferguson told him “in great detail about her weight-loss regime” - at the time she was earning about $2 million a year from Weight Watchers.
But throughout the encounter, Mr Kelner noticed that she “exhibited very little of what you might call a world-view”.
“She seemed to think that it was enough just to be herself, and here of course lies the problem for the Royal Family with the promise of further revelations from the Epstein files,” he writes.
Mr Kelner had scored the dinner with her while both of them were working for Tony O’Reilly who was the CEO of Heinz which owned Weight Watchers and was the proprietor of The Independent. At the time, Mr Kelner was the editor of the publication.
In his recent column, he explains that the way both Andrew and the ex-duchess attempted to “monetise being a royal” shows the “hypocrisy” at the core of Windsor.
“From Andrew’s Pitch@Palace enterprise to Ferguson’s Planet Partners Productions Ltd, it’s hard to view any of the ventures of this hapless couple as anything other than a shameless attempt to turn a position that invokes modesty and service into a way of amassing personal wealth.”
Ms Kelner goes on to compare the treatment of the “hapless couple” with that of Meghan and Harry who have been “ex-communicated for adopting a similar approach” even if theirs seems to be “much more honest” and successful.
This comes as the former Duchess of York is reportedly lying low in the United Arab Emirates following her removal from the Royal Lodge.
She spent weeks sneaking in and out of the estate, finally leaving for good by car under the cover of darkness and surrounded by Amazon boxes.
Since the latest Epstein files disclosure, Ms Ferguson has faced a high degree of public scrutiny.
The files show that Ms Ferguson was still in contact with the sex offender after he was released from prison.
Just five days after his release, Ms Ferguson went to lunch with Epstein and brought her two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie with her.
In 2009, she called Epstein her “brother”.
“Thank you Jeffrey for being the brother I have always wished for.”
She even referred to him as a “pillar” in a 2010 email.
In the past week six business ventures she has a hand in have begun winding up proceedings. Her charity, Sarah’s Trust, has also announced its closure.
According to some reports, Ms Ferguson does not intend to live with Andrew at Sandringham when she returns to the UK - preferring to remain in the Windsor region.
