Ex-Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's Reputations Are "Dust"

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York attend the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London, England. Katharine, Duchess of Kent was married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She died on September 4 at the age of 92 at Kensington Palace surrounded by her family. Having converted to Catholicism in 1994, her funeral takes place at Westminster Cathedral and is the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history. Her Royal Highness will be laid to rest at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor. (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were demoted by King Charles in 2025, and forced to relinquish their royal titles. However, the release of additional Epstein files has caused the former Duke and Duchess of York to hit the headlines once again. And according to one royal biographer, Sarah and Andrew have been caught in a plethora of lies over the years, which has permanently damaged their reputations.

"You can't believe a single word either Andrew or Sarah Ferguson says and I learned that over my four years of research," royal author Andrew Lownie told the Daily Mail. "They lie even about things they don't need to lie about. So, I'm afraid their reputations are absolutely in the dust. Neither of them can ever recover from what's been emerging."

Lownie—the author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York—also alleged that Epstein used Andrew to gain access to other Royal Family members. "Epstein got very close to the Royal Family and he was using Andrew to get to [Queen Elizabeth]," Lownie suggested to the outlet. "I think Epstein thought that he could be doing business things for The Queen."

Prince Andrew standing outside the Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge — "Epstein got very close to the Royal Family."

Andrew Lownie

'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York'

The royal biographer continued, "I have no doubt that the members of the Royal Family probably met Epstein, that hasn't emerged yet. The family were helping Andrew, whether inadvertently or advertently, knowing who the people were." Lownie explained, "But, he had the support of the family for what he was doing, so it wouldn't surprise me to have The Queen meeting some of these people, like Epstein."

Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Duchess Sophie and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in Scotland after Queen Elizabeth's death — "You can't believe a single word either Andrew or Sarah Ferguson says."

Lownie further alleged, "Andrew was very integral to the whole operation. He would have seen everything, he would have known an awful lot."

Basically, it sounds as though Ferguson and Andrew will struggle to make any sort of comeback following the latest Epstein allegations.

TOPICS

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.