Known as ‘The Duchess of Scandal’, Sarah Ferguson has consistently found herself at the center of public controversies, with numerous incidents marring her image over the years.

Even her staunchest allies, daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, have occasionally felt the impact of their mother’s unconventional antics.

During a lavish £500,000 gathering hosted by David and Victoria Beckham to mark the World Cup final in May 2006, a then 17-year-old Beatrice reportedly found herself cringing at her mother’s behavior, as recounted by royal author Andrew Lownie.

In his revealing book, Entitled, Lownie paints a vivid picture of the evening, describing how the former Duchess, appearing ‘invigorated’, enthusiastically threw herself around the dance floor, attempting to mimic Beyonce’s moves.

At one point, Ferguson, then 66, tried to flirt with David Beckham before turning her attention to Victoria, inquiring about her diet secrets, saying, ‘I need to lose some weight.’

A guest at the star-studded charity event expressed sympathy for the young princess, who watched her mother’s peculiar actions play out.

‘It was like she was the mature one and Sarah was the teenager,’ they told Lownie.

The notorious party, hosted at ‘Beckingham Palace’ – the Beckham’s former Hertfordshire mansion – was to raise money for the NSPCC and saw the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Wayne Rooney and even David Cameron in attendance. 

Gordon Ramsay, Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice and Jenson Button at an exclusive £500,000 party hosted by David and Victoria Beckham to celebrate the World Cup final in May 2006

For Sarah, it was a perfect opportunity to mingle among some of the highest-ranked stars at that time, as the ex-Duchess sought to re-position herself in the public realm following her high-profile divorce from Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

It was also just two months ahead of Beatrice’s 18th birthday party – a ‘lavish costume ball’ hosted at Windsor Castle, attended by the likes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, alongside Harvey Weinstein.

Under the theme of ‘1888’ – a marker of the fact that Beatrice had been born a century later on August 8, 1988 – the young Princess donned a £100,000 gown designed by Marchesa, the New York fashion house established by Georgina Chapman, Harvey Weinstein’s ex-wife.

It was to be a spectacular affair – with, even prior to the main event, up to 250 guests enjoying a luxurious dinner that had cost a reported £400,000.

As candles flickered, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played a medley of classical tunes while the guests were also entertained by tarot card readers and contortionists.

Fergie’s unlikely friendship with the Beckham’s dates back many years, with their daughter Harper, then aged six, even attending a tea party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate her birthday.

Organised by Sarah and her former husband, the youngest Beckham and her close friends donned princess costumes and met the couple’s youngest daughter Princess Eugenie.

At one stage, Fergie, 66, even attempted to ‘chat up David’ before later approaching Victoria to remark: ‘You must tell me your diet secrets. I need to lose some weight’

Detailing the night of glitz and glamour in his tell-all book Entitled, Lownie explains how the ex-Duchess, described as ‘refreshed’, was seen ‘hurling herself around the dance floor, trying to dance like Beyonce Knowles’

Details of the supposedly ‘private’ tea party were shrouded in secrecy until David and Victoria decided at the time to share snaps to their social media to mark their youngest child’s big day.

And their friendship appears to have stood the test of time – with the Beckhams seen warmly embracing Sarah while on holiday in Italy in 2022, sharing a luxurious lunch together at a swish restaurant overlooking the Amalfi Coast.

For Fergie, the celebration of her eldest daughter reaching adulthood was also a cause for personal celebration – as the former Duchess sought to make a firm departure from being strictly tied to the royal fold and embrace the world of celebrity.

In preparation, she had recently undergone work with a New-York based celebrity dermatologist dubbed ‘Dr Lookgood’, who provided non-surgical treatments at his luxury ‘rejuvenation center’ on Madison Avenue.

After racking up debts in excess of £3.7million by 1994 and becoming well-known for running up huge bills in stores such as Harrods, Fergie needed to quickly enlist some money-making schemes that could help her bring in some much-needed cash.

The Beckham’s party was just two months ahead of Beatrice’s 18th birthday party – a ‘lavish costume ball’ hosted at Windsor Castle and attended by the likes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, alongside Harvey Weinstein

As such, it was during this period that Sarah set her sights clearly on the launch of her new jewelery brand – K&G Creations – with the proceeds from the collection set to go towards the charitable Sarah Ferguson Foundation for Children.  

 In America, Fergie launched her own brand of luxurious household goods: the ‘Duchess Originals’, a direct play on Prince Charles’s Duchy Originals, featured a wide array of items from teaspoons to bed linen.

And she was also working alongside millionaire Wall Street banker Todd Morley on a joint venture – Hartmoor.

Described as a ‘global inspirational lifestyle and wellness company’ – it sought to pull together Fergie’s intellectual property rights for her ever-growing franchise that included books, film rights and a multitude of branded products. 

In April 2007, she was even paid $500,000 (£382,000) to give five talks – all written by one of Bill Clinton’s former speechwriters – about her life-transformation, Lownie writes.

And there were even suggestions that Fergie could be set to appear on popular American dancing show Dancing with the Stars, with, according to Lownie, ‘a senior TV industry executive’ claiming that ‘success could make her a household name in the US’.

In 2025, she may well be considered a household name across the pond – albeit for more sensationalist reasons.

On October 31, King Charles announced that Andrew, formerly Prince, would be stripped of his royal titles after weeks of pressure to act over his friendship with prolific sex offender Epstein. 

Fergie’s unlikely friendship with the Beckham’s dates back many years, with their daughter Harper, then aged six, even attending a tea party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate her birthday

Princess Beatrice’s notorious 18th birthday party, hosted at ‘Beckingham Palace’ – the Beckham’s former Hertfordshire mansion – was to raise money for the NSPCC and saw the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Wayne Rooney and even David Cameron in attendance

Fergie too has lost her beloved Duchess title and will be evicted from Windsor’s Royal Lodge, alongside her ex-husband. The pair had been living together at the 30-room Grade II listed mansion since 2008 despite divorcing in 1996.

While Andrew will be banished to a private home on the monarch’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, Sarah will be forced to ‘make her own arrangements’ when it comes to her future, according to sources.

A friend previously told the Daily Mail: ‘The honest truth is that she has nowhere to go and no one to go with. Her future is hanging in the balance,’ while another source said: ‘People don’t want to be associated with her any more’.

The former Duchess apologised to prolific paedophile financier Epstein in April 2011, less than two months after telling journalists: ‘I will never have anything to do with (Epstein) again.’ 

Addressing her ‘supreme friend’ in an email ‘from the truth of my heart’, she ‘humbly apologised’ to the convicted sex offender for letting him down, adding that she had been told to speak out if she wanted to save her career as a children’s author.

Fergie was subsequently dropped by seven charities including the Teenager Cancer Trust, which she had backed since 1990, and the British Heart Foundation. 

But her spokesperson, James Henderson, claimed that the email was sent in a desperate bid to protect Beatrice and Eugenie after Epstein had threatened to destroy the family in a ‘chilling’ phone call. 

With a high-profile circle that includes the likes of supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, alongside Elton John and Demi Moore, only time will tell if Fergie’s high-profile fall from grace has left a permanent mark in her once blossoming friendships

 Before the scandalous Epstein revelations, Fergie was due to release her latest children’s book, titled ‘Flora And Fern: Kindness Along The Way’ on October 9 at a cost of £12.99. It was then mysteriously delayed to a November 20 release

‘The pressure she was put under to protect her family must have been huge,’ he said. 

The former Duchess, who previously admitted to borrowing £15,000 from Epstein to pay off her debts, has also been accused of taking significantly larger sums from the shamed financier. Such claims have previously been denied. 

Before the scandalous revelations, Fergie was due to release her latest children’s book, titled ‘Flora And Fern: Kindness Along The Way’ on October 9 at a cost of £12.99. It was then mysteriously delayed to a November 20 release.

Publishing sources have since told The Daily Mail that the new book is set to be ‘pulped’ after she was stripped of her titles – with 10,000 copies of the book said to have been ‘sent to the recycling centre’. 

While Sarah has weathered a multitude of scandals over the years, she appears to have been rather fatally wounded by her poorly judged connection with Epstein.

With a high-profile circle that includes the likes of supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, alongside Elton John and Demi Moore, only time will tell if Fergie’s high-profile fall from grace has left a permanent mark in her socialite status.