So Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and self-appointed fixer for royal access, is getting a huge career boost: She is getting 10 minutes on "Oprah" next Tuesday to tell her side of the story to an American audience.
I'll definitely be watching as I've been contacted by the BBC World Service again to offer my opinion on Ferguson's appearance and expected apology. (The BBC show will probably run on Wednesday, June 2. I'll post more details as soon as I get them.) Will she make a similar apology in the UK, where the British are far more annoyed with her behavior than Americans seem to be? Is her "Oprah" appearance part of a carefully crafted plan to win sympathy with American viewers as Ferguson's only hope for future success is here in America? (She may be hard pressed to improve her financial situation in Britain at the moment given how she seems universally loathed and reviled by the public.) And I hope she tells us how her ex-husband and two daughters are coping with her disgrace; I'd love to hear what the Queen thinks too, but that may be wishful thinking on my part.
Sarah certainly hasn't been hiding for the last week. She was in Los Angeles earlier this week to collect an award for her charity work (where she received a big round of applause from the audience), and she's now in New York at the Book Expo America conference doing PR for her children's book. I give her credit for not hiding, but I do wish she'd stop saying she "hates adults and loves children," a veiled snipe at her recent troubles. Although I think Ferguson's in a tough place and I'm quite sure she adores children, she's brought trouble on herself by acting more like a child and less like an adult. Harsh words, but there you go.
Stay tuned ... and do add your comments below. I'm especially curious to hear your opinions on Ferguson's upcoming "Oprah" appearance.
I am an American and an Anglophile. I am sorry this whole episode happened, as it will further damage the reputation of the British Monarchy with it's subjects. Sarah clearly made a major mistake in judgement. However, I wonder at the extreme cheapness of her divorce settlement, especially after the marriage lasted some time and produced 2 children who are after all the QUEEN"S GRANDCHILDREN!!! I hear that Sarah gets 20,000 pounds alimony a year, quite a small sum for someone once married to a prince of England. It forced her into the position of fending for herself. In addition, I hear that she PAYS for her room at the royal residence she shares with Andrew. It seems very penny-pinching of them to ask her to pay. She has had some money come her way which was earned on her own, like Weight watchers and her children's books, but has suffered from a bad business decision or two. Time for someone reliable to suggest a good solid business advisor for her. As for this scandal, I hope she is forgiven in Britain . Her judgement may be occasionally bad ( whose isn't??) , but I think she still loves Andrew, and has a good heart.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, LJ. I agree, Ferguson could some good advice on the financial front. But another troubling point you mention: her divorce payout. The Telegraph> reported this weekend that Ferguson's takeaway from the divorce was more like £#3 milliion. Here's the link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7782897/Duchess-of-Yorks-divorce-settlement-was-worth-3-million.html That's a fair bit of money -- not as much as Princess Diana received, but hardly the £15,000 per annum she claims.
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