Sarah Ferguson, Sean 'Diddy' Combs Relationship Rumours Explained: Royal Author Claims 'Friends With Benefits' Link

Sarah Ferguson and Sean 'Diddy' Combs are facing renewed scrutiny after a royal biographer claimed in London over the weekend that the pair had a 'friends with benefits' relationship in the 2000s. He said he 'stands by' the allegation and claimed it was based on accounts from former staff linked to both camps.

The claim appears in the updated 2025 edition of Andrew Lownie's book 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York'. In the revised version, Lownie explores the former Duchess of York's post-royal life and social circle, alongside Prince Andrew's downfall over his links to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. None of the central figures named in this section has publicly confirmed the account, so the allegations remain uncorroborated.

Rumours Revisited

In an interview with The Times on Saturday, 9 May, Lownie, 64, was asked directly about his portrayal of the relationship between Sarah Ferguson and Sean 'Diddy' Combs. He replied: 'I stand by it. It's fully sourced with former employees of P. Diddy and Sarah Ferguson.'

In the book, Lownie alleges that Ferguson, now 66, and Combs, 56, developed what he describes as a 'friends with benefits' arrangement. According to his account, they first met at a party in 2002 hosted by Ghislaine Maxwell and only began what he characterises as a sexual friendship about two years later.

Lownie writes that sources told him Ferguson and Combs met several times in luxury hotels in Africa and Europe. One unnamed source quoted in the book recalls them staying at a 'seven-star' property said to cost more than $68,000 (£50,361) a night, adding: 'They spared no expense.' That description has not been independently verified, and there is no public documentary evidence confirming the locations or sums mentioned.

The book also suggests the alleged relationship spilled into Ferguson's family circle. Lownie reports that Combs told colleagues he had slept with Ferguson and allegedly said he 'could not wait until Fergie's daughters come of age'. Ferguson and her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, share two daughters, Princess Beatrice, now 37, and Princess Eugenie, 36.

According to the book, Ferguson later introduced the York sisters to Combs at one of his yacht parties in 2006. A royal staffer quoted in the text says 'Sean's parties were wild' and adds that 'the fact that she brought Eugenie around was alarming'. Those comments are attributed to anonymous sources and have not been publicly acknowledged by Ferguson or the princesses.

Lownie also contends that Ferguson 'made no secret' of wanting to marry 'someone in the U.S. who was wealthy and powerful', placing Combs within what he presents as a broader pattern in her personal life. The book does not offer on-the-record confirmation from Ferguson herself.

Wider Royal Context

The more sensational claims about Ferguson and Combs sit within a broader narrative in Entitled about the decline of the House of York and its proximity to some of the most damaging scandals of recent decades.

Lownie's book traces Prince Andrew's friendship with Epstein and Maxwell through the early 2000s and argues that the relationship steadily destroyed his public standing. Epstein died in jail in August 2019, officially by suicide, while Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking offences at a federal prison camp in Texas.

The author also notes that Andrew, 66, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his links to Epstein. It adds that King Charles stripped Andrew of his remaining royal titles last year and that he was removed from Royal Lodge, where he had been living with Ferguson, pushing the pair further to the edge of royal life.

Lownie frames the alleged Ferguson-Combs link within this broader pattern of the Yorks' associations. Combs himself is described as serving a 50-month sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix after being convicted in 2025 on two counts of transportation for prostitution.

Lownie's decision to repeat staff-room accounts of what Combs allegedly said about Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie has raised fresh questions about sourcing. He insists the material is 'fully sourced with former employees', but none of those individuals is named in the sections made public so far, and there has been no reported legal challenge or formal denial relating specifically to these claims.

Without direct comment from Ferguson, Combs or their representatives, the story remains an account presented in a royal exposé rather than an established public record. Much of what is alleged is said to have taken place in private, years ago, in settings that are difficult to verify independently.

Nothing in Lownie's account of the alleged Ferguson-Combs relationship has been independently confirmed by public documents or on-the-record testimony. For that reason, the claims should be treated as unverified allegations rather than established fact.