JOIN USAccording to footage on the News of the World newspaper’s website, Sarah Ferguson appears to ask for $40,000 in cash and 500,000 pounds ($718,500) by wire transfer, claiming she could introduce the undercover reporter to the prince.
Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth and fourth in line to the throne “categorically” denied any knowledge of the meeting that took place between the Duchess of York and the News of the World, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The Duchess, known as “Fergie,” who is no stranger to controversy, said she deeply regretted the sting and admitted her financial situation was “under stress,” British media reported.
“I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused,” Ferguson said in a statement.
“It is true that my financial situation is under stress, however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened,” she added.
The sting is nonetheless likely to cause embarrassment for Andrew, who divorced Ferguson amicably in 1996 after a decade-long marriage, and Britain’s austere royal family.
The 50-year-old prince, also known as the Duke of York, acts as Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment, augmenting work by the business ministry.
Royal protocol
Fergie arrived like a breath of fresh air on the sedate royal scene in 1986 as a confident career-minded woman determined to live life to the full.
But she ruffled feathers by refusing to let royal protocol get in the way of a good time and had to get used to unrelenting ribbing at the hands of Britain’s royal-obsessed media who never warmed to the jet-setting princess.