Sarah Ferguson has always described motherhood as her proudest achievement. She once called herself “the best mum I know.” However, critics are now overlooking her statement, especially after her recent scandals.
This includes fresh attention on her connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This has revived debate about her parenting during her daughters’ early years.
Ferguson, 66, is the mother to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, whom she shares with her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. In 2007, she accepted a Mother of the Year award and has often spoken about her close bond with her daughters.
Sarah Ferguson resumed the affair with Steve Wyatt two months after Eugenie was born. Sarah introduced Steve Wyatt to Dr Ramzi Salman, then head of the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organisation, at a private Buckingham Palace dinner in mid-1990, pic.twitter.com/m991XymrPW
— Kath (@mopeng) January 5, 2026
In a past statement to The Daily Mail, she called the trio a “tripod.” However, according to the media outlet, royal author Andrew Lownie has a different opinion in his book Entitled. He claims the former Duchess of York relied on nannies when her daughters were young.
Lownie also wrote that Ferguson would “hand them over to a nanny unless photographers were present.”
One source in the book quoted that public appearances were “completely staged from beginning to end.” Hence, it highlights the fact that Ferguson would hold the girls’ hands for photos before passing them back to the nannies.
It was also shared by Lownie that the parents at Marlborough College, where Eugenie studied from 2003 to 2008, found it “rather odd” that Ferguson was praised as a devoted mother. One parent told him, “I can’t remember the last time I saw either the Duke or the Duchess there.”
Nevertheless, questions about Ferguson’s life date back to the early 1990s. In 1992, photographs surfaced of her on holiday in Morocco with American businessman Steve Wyatt, taken in May 1990.
This was just weeks after Eugenie’s birth. One widely popular image showcases a young Beatrice sitting on Wyatt’s knee, causing headlines and raising concerns, since she was still married to Andrew at that time.
Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York took her own daughter, Princess Eugenie to a
P. Diddy Yacht party in 2006
— MeghansMole©️ (@MeghansMole) September 21, 2024
That same year, she faced another controversy after images of her with financial adviser John Bryan kissing her toes in St. Tropez went viral. Moreover, the scandal became a reason behind her separation from the former prince. Critics also questioned her decision to take her daughters on trips during school terms.
In Fergie: The Very Private Life of the Duchess of York, author Madame Vasso claimed her decisions for such travel “angered parents and teachers.” Reportedly, it cost taxpayers thousands in security expenses.
The former Duchess of York has defended her choices in past interviews. Earlier, she questioned the value of sending her daughters away for long stretches, saying, “I’ve got two lovely girls and what’s the point of sending them to school for months on end?” She believed exposing them to different cultures would broaden their horizons.
In recent news, attention has focused on her relationship with Epstein. Court documents released earlier revealed that the former royal member visited Epstein in 2009, shortly after the latter’s release from prison for minor abuse. Moreover, sources claim she brought Beatrice and Eugenie (then 20 and 19) to see him just days after his release.
The fallout from Epstein’s ties to Andrew has severely damaged the royal family’s public image. A source previously said that Beatrice and Eugenie were “aghast” and “embarrassed” by revelations about their parents’ connections. However, they continue to support them privately.
