A royal author has relayed a quote from a “former Cabinet minister” detailing Elizabeth’s feelings towards her former daughter-in-law and how she had a concern about her and Andrew’s welfare
A claim has emerged that the late Queen had a “worry” about Andrew and his ex-wife, Fergie(Image: Getty Images)
The late Queen Elizabeth II once made a comment suggesting she had a pressing fear about Sarah Ferguson’s finances, it has been claimed. In his 2026 biography ofthe former monarch, Elizabeth II: In Private, In Public: The Inside Story, royal author Robert Hardman reportedly offers a “delightful, intimate new portrait” of Elizabeth, packed with “fresh details”.
According to Waterstones, Robert is the only biographer to have “interviewed all the senior members of the Royal Family“, suggesting he had rare insight into internal royal relationships.
Indeed, in the book, Robert relays a claim that Elizabeth had a certain “worry” about Andrew, her reputed favourite child, and his former wife, Fergie, which persisted even after their divorce in 1996.
In fact, he relayed a quote from a “former Cabinet minister” detailing how Elizabeth was “strangely fond” of her former daughter-in-law and had a “rather sweet” concern about her and Andrew’s welfare.
A “former Cabinet minister” shared how Elizabeth was “strangely fond” of Ferguson
(Image: Getty Images)
He wrote: “One former Cabinet minister remembered that, through this period, the Queen was touchingly concerned for her ex-daughter-in-law, who had continued to live — on and off — with the Duke ever since their divorce.”
Robert quoted this unnamed minister as saying: “She was obviously fond of Andrew, but strangely fond of Fergie. She (the late Queen) said: ‘Oh, I just worry that they don’t have any money’. It was rather sweet.”
Fergie’s finances have made headlines before, however. The former Duchess of York — who, like her ex-husband, has remained under intense public scrutiny as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues — has previously been at the centre of money stories.
Ferguson, who is known for her taste for the high life, was reportedly accustomed to skiing holidays and ponies and is said to have once splurged £25,000 in just an hour at Bloomingdale’s.
Earlier this year, journalist Hilary Rose wrote in The Times about a time when the former duchess dropped £20,000 on renting a villa in the south of France in 1994.
Elizabeth reportedly had a “rather sweet” concern about her and Andrew’s welfare
(Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
She penned: “More recently, she developed a taste for the expensive rosé Whispering Angel.
“The vineyard’s owner, Sacha Lichine, has a pair of angel wings on his desk sent to him by her, Beatrice and Eugenie, Ferguson’s younger daughter, as a thank you, and told me three years ago that they visit if they’re staying with a friend nearby.”
Hilary also claimed that Fergie had been “musing aloud” about purchasing the property for a staggering £1.7million, but was being “pursued back home for an unpaid electricity bill”.
Fergie has been stripped of her Duchess of York and honorary Freedom of the City of York titles, and a number of charities have severed their ties to her over her alleged links to the convicted sex offender.
As she continues to navigate the fallout, Fergie has reportedly disappeared from the public spotlight.
Victoria Ward, deputy royal editor at The Telegraph, previously claimed that some of the rumours about her whereabouts included staying with Priscilla Presley in Los Angeles, visiting “Swiss clinics”, and spending time at Andrew’s new home in Sandringham.