Sarah Ferguson Denies Royal Tell-All Deal, King Charles Jokes About His Future

0:03 Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. The Sun reported Sarah Ferguson is reportedly close to a seven-figure book deal and that a chapter-by-chapter synopsis has already been prepared, along with detailed notes on potential subjects. Those are said to include her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Jeffrey Epstein, King Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan. One unnamed source told The Sun, Sarah wants to set the record straight about everything and earn some money to resolve financial issues. There has been a secret bidding war and a deal is close to being secured.

0:48 The notes are compelling and the bidders are excited. Fergie is ever the optimist and believes she can be forgiven and welcomed back. However, Sarah Ferguson's spokesperson said, In a statement to The Independent, it said, Sarah Ferguson is not close to signing a multi-million dollar book deal, as has been reported. She has no plans to write any tell-all memoir. Andrew Lowney tells The Mirror, she has been touting a book for months, but I'm not convinced she will do it. She will not want to endanger the future of her children. My instinct is she has leaked the story as part of a negotiation with the royal family to take care of her. Let us see which publisher confirms the deal, if any. The BBC's former royal editor Jenny Bond believes the former duchess would be taking an enormous risk by revisiting the scandals of her past in the form of a book. I'm sure many publishers have approached Sarah with their fat wallets, suggesting she writes another book about her life as a royal and beyond, and she's always been ruthless in her pursuit of money. But despite the rumours swirling that she is seriously considering signing a deal with Her spokesperson has denied it. At least, to be specific, they deny that she is planning a tell-all memoir. And without the tell-all material, the dollars will not be flowing.

2:09 In her book 30 years ago, she wrote about how her first meeting with the wider royal family at Sandringham was like facing her firing squad. She was so nervous that she tripped over a piano leg, spilled her drink and kicked one of the corgis. I can't see her choosing to face the firing squad again by writing a tell-all memoir. PR expert Chad Texera tells The Mirror, Sarah Ferguson has had more comebacks than most public figures would ever get away with. Her reputation has been through scandal after scandal, from the toe-sucking pictures and money problems, to the cash-for-access sting, and much more seriously, the question around her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. So there is absolutely a market for this book. I could easily see a deal going well into seven figures, particularly if she is willing to talk properly about Andrew Epstein and what has gone on behind closed doors in the royal family. That is where the real value is for a publisher. Nobody is paying millions for a carefully polished version of events we've already heard. Chad believes the size of any deal would ultimately depend on how much Sarah is prepared to say.

3:16 It could also be a complete headache for the royal family. Sarah has been in that world for around 40 years. She was married to Andrew. She's the mother of two princesses. and she remained incredibly close to Andrew long after their divorce. She knows things, and crucially, people will believe she knows things. That alone creates headlines. From a PR point of view, this is a huge gamble for Sarah. If this is supposed to be her big comeback and a chance to repair her reputation, selling Royal Secrets could do the complete opposite. One of the criticisms that has followed her for years is that she has traded on her royal connections. And a massive autobiography deal potentially puts that argument straight back on the table. The palace's biggest problem might not even be one massive bombshell. It could be death by a thousand headlines. One claim about Andrew becomes three days of stories.

4:08 Something about Harry and Meghan starts another row. A private conversation with the king becomes front page news. Then suddenly everybody is talking about scandals the royal family desperately wants to move on from. For Jenny Bond, she thinks for Sarah, staying silently sure has to be the best course of action. We'll see. As often, where there is smoke, there is fire. More palace in just a moment. A small note may provide some insight into King Charles' health. The king had a dry response to the scale of work underway at Peterhead Port during a visit to Aberdeenshire. After hearing about renewable energy projects, the King unveiled a plaque and praised the people involved. It's fantastic to see such a remarkable effort and teamwork and coordination. Whether I shall still be alive by the time you complete it, I don't know.

5:05 The project is scheduled to complete in 2040. Charles will turn 92 on November 14 of that year. Buckingham Palace said at the time that he had responded exceptionally well to treatment and that his care would move into a precautionary phase. Kate brought some of her fellow Three Peaks challengers to Windsor Castle, turning a shared experience on the mountains into a conversation about recovery, determination and the people who help us through difficult times. The princess hosted participants and their families for tea after completing the challenge herself in June in support of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The event involves climbing Ben Nevis, Scaffold Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours. But her message after the gathering focused less on reaching the summits than on what had brought each person to the starting line. Writing on social media, Catherine said, It was a pleasure to welcome other Three Peaks Challenge participants and their families to Windsor Castle. Behind every summit was a personal story of resilience, determination and hope.

6:06 Listening to their experiences of the challenge and their reasons for taking it on was a powerful reminder that recovery is rarely a journey we make alone and of the importance of the people who walk alongside us. along the way. She signed the message with a C. For Catherine, the reception also offered a chance to reconnect with people she had met during her own attempt. Among them was 11-year-old Ted Haslam, his father Pete, and a team of 15 relatives and friends who helped him compete the challenge, pushing and carrying him in his wheelchair. Their fundraising supported Bolly Ollie's Wishes, a charity helping children with serious illnesses. Catherine encountered Ted several times along the route, and later donated to his fundraising page. She wrote, One of the real highlights of the Three Peaks Challenge was meeting inspiring people like you along the way. Huge congratulations to Ted, Pete and the entire team for raising money for such a wonderful cause. Explaining her own decision to attempt the challenge, she said she wanted to highlight the deeper impact of serious illness and the importance of holistic health care. She also said, Cancer doesn't just affect the body, it changes how you think and feel and profoundly affects every aspect of life. I know this personally, and that the journey through and beyond treatment requires more than medicine alone. I have taken on the National Three Peaks Challenge, not simply as a physical endeavor, but as a chance to explore life beyond diagnosis and to give something back. The Royal Marsden is a place that holds great meaning for me and whose care and expertise are life-changing for so many people.

7:39 Prince William visited the Secret Intelligence Service in London on Thursday, according to the court circular, while Kate travelled to Essex to meet people recovering from addiction. Later that day, he also met BBC's Director General, Matt Britton. Catherine was at Garron Park in Southend for Addiction Awareness Week, visiting a gardening project run by the Forward Trust, of which she is patron. The charity's Southend Treatment and Recovery Service offers people space to garden, walk and talk as part of its support. Kate toured the grounds and heard from those using the service, including Steph Sampson, who spoke about her experience of alcohol addiction and hiding her drinking from her children. During the visit, the princess described the outdoors as so vital for healing. She also suggested William would have enjoyed seeing the garden. I should have my husband here. He knows a lot about gardening. He's really passionate. A children's beehive experience caught her attention too. She called it right up my street. Kate swapped her usual heels for oxblood leather penny loafers during her visit to Southend-on-Sea, pairing the bowed-in shoes with cropped dark brown trousers. British Vogue called it the ultimate signifier of luxury. And there you have it.

8:52 If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says Listen Uninterrupted and get the show commercial free for just five bucks a month. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly. Good times.