'Entitled' Sarah Ferguson Used Princess Beatrice's Credit Card and Paid Psychic in Cigarettes, New Book Claims

Sarah Ferguson is facing renewed scrutiny after a new book claimed the former Duchess of York used Princess Beatrice's credit card and once paid a psychic in cigarettes. The allegations, reported in British and US outlets and attributed to royal biographer Andrew Lownie, focus on Ferguson's finances and behaviour in the years after her divorce from Prince Andrew.

The claims arrive after decades of attention on Ferguson's money troubles and commercial ventures following the end of her marriage in 1996. Lownie's book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, is chiefly about Andrew's downfall, but it also examines Ferguson's approach to money. For years, she has been portrayed as a royal living on the edge of privilege, no longer fully inside the institution but still closely tied to its world of luxury.

Credit Card Claims

In Entitled, Lownie writes that Ferguson 'rarely paid for anything, expecting to be given products for free or be entertained by friends,' a pattern he says unsettled people around her. According to excerpts cited by Hello!, he alleges that she borrowed couture and did not always return it, ordered clothes and failed to pay for them, and at times relied on staff to meet costs on their personal credit cards.

Lownie also claims it is 'unclear' whether those aides were ever repaid, leaving resentment among people in her orbit. The most striking allegation concerns her daughters. He writes that 'Sarah herself drew on Beatrice's credit card constantly and paid one psychic in cigarettes,' suggesting blurred financial boundaries within the family.

The picture that emerges goes beyond unpaid bills or borrowed designer items. Lownie presents Ferguson as someone who remained attached to a costly lifestyle long after leaving the formal protection of royal life. Ferguson has not publicly addressed the specific anecdotes, and the claims have not been independently verified.

Money Troubles After Divorce

Ferguson's financial strain did not begin with this book. Her divorce from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then still Prince Andrew, was settled in 1996. According to People, she received around 475,000 US dollars, including a lump sum and other provisions. The same report contrasted that with the roughly 22 million US dollars, plus allowances, received by the late Princess Diana after her split from then Prince Charles.

That gap helps explain why money remained such a persistent issue. Royal author Robert Jobson told People that Ferguson 'was introduced to this lifestyle and kept living it,' adding that 'she was desperate for money.' The suggestion is that a relatively modest settlement, by royal standards, clashed with the expectations and habits of high society.

In an effort to bridge that gap, Ferguson has pursued commercial projects ranging from endorsements to children's books and adult fiction. Lownie's book suggests that this public hustle may have sat alongside a private dependence on the generosity of others, including friends, staff and, at times, family.

Royal commentator Ingrid Seward is also quoted as arguing that any York branded comeback now faces a colder climate. 'This time no one is going to give her the airspace,' she said, pointing to the damage caused by Andrew's association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Those are judgments from commentators rather than settled facts, but they underline how narrow Ferguson's options may now be.

Life On The Edge Of Luxury

Recent tabloid reports have added another layer to that picture. An April 2026 report claimed Ferguson had been staying in an upscale chalet in Austria, but suggested she may have been based in staff accommodation rather than paying full price. One unnamed source said 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'.

The same source said there was 'a wide perception that she is simply too broke to have the resources to sustain a 3,000 dollar a night lifestyle.' Another unnamed insider suggested Ferguson had been keeping a low profile as criticism over her past proximity to Epstein and Andrew's disgraced circle intensified.

Against that backdrop, the allegations in Entitled land with more force. In the telling of her critics, this is not simply a story about freebies or unpaid bills, but about a woman trying to preserve the habits and appearance of royal luxury while living with a far less secure financial reality.

None of the more colourful claims about credit cards, cigarettes or chalet arrangements has been confirmed by official documents. Ferguson's representatives have not issued a detailed rebuttal. For now, the claims remain a mix of biography, tabloid reporting and anonymous briefings rather than established fact.