Sarah Ferguson is facing fresh scrutiny over her finances after a new royal biography alleged the former duchess regularly relied on other people's money, including reportedly using Princess Beatrice's credit card and paying a psychic in cigarettes during years of mounting financial pressure following her divorce from Prince Andrew.
The claims appear in Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, a new book by royal biographer Andrew Lownie that examines the decline of the York family and revisits long-running questions about Ferguson's spending habits and relationship with wealth after leaving official royal life.
While the book's central focus is Andrew's downfall and the fallout from his association with Jeffrey Epstein, some of its most eye-catching allegations concern Ferguson's finances and behavior behind palace walls.
According to excerpts reported by Hello! and other British outlets, Lownie writes that Ferguson "rarely paid for anything, expecting to be given products for free or be entertained by friends."
The author further claims she borrowed couture items without always returning them, ordered expensive clothing she allegedly failed to pay for, and sometimes relied on staff members to place purchases on their own credit cards.
Lownie writes it remained "unclear" whether some of those aides were ever reimbursed.
The book's most sensitive allegation involves Ferguson's relationship with her daughters' finances. Lownie claims that "Sarah herself drew on Beatrice's credit card constantly and paid one psychic in cigarettes," a description that paints a picture of blurred personal and financial boundaries inside the York household.
Neither Ferguson nor her representatives have publicly responded in detail to the specific allegations, and many of the anecdotes described in the book have not been independently verified through documents or official records.
Still, the accusations revive decades of public fascination with Ferguson's finances, which have shadowed her since her 1996 divorce from Andrew.
Unlike Princess Diana, who reportedly received a far larger financial settlement after separating from then-King Charles III, Ferguson's post-divorce arrangement was comparatively modest by royal standards.
According to People magazine, Ferguson received approximately $475,000 in combined provisions and settlement support. By contrast, Diana reportedly received around $22 million alongside additional allowances.
Royal commentator Robert Jobson told People that Ferguson "was introduced to this lifestyle and kept living it," adding that "she was desperate for money."
That tension - between royal expectations and diminished financial resources - has shaped much of Ferguson's public life over the past three decades.
Since leaving frontline royal duties, Ferguson has pursued a wide range of commercial ventures, including publishing deals, endorsements, children's books and television appearances. Critics have often portrayed those efforts as evidence of financial instability, while supporters argue she was attempting to sustain independence outside the formal royal structure.
Lownie's book suggests the struggle extended beyond public business projects into more private dependence on wealthy friends, aides and family members.
Royal editor Ingrid Seward argued that the York family's reputational problems now make any meaningful comeback increasingly difficult.
"This time no one is going to give her the airspace," Seward reportedly said, referencing the lingering damage surrounding Andrew's relationship with Epstein and the broader collapse of the York brand.
Recent tabloid reporting has only intensified that perception.
An April 2026 report claimed Ferguson had been living quietly in an upscale Austrian chalet while allegedly relying on discounted or staff accommodation rather than fully financing the luxury stay herself.
One unnamed source claimed there was "a growing belief that she is actually based in staff accommodation, which would explain how she is managing to remain there without the kind of expense people would expect."
Another source reportedly suggested there was "a wide perception that she is simply too broke to have the resources to sustain a 3,000 dollar a night lifestyle."
