Duchess of York reveals she is pausing her children’s book series Fergie and Friends
]
The Duchess of York has announced she is taking a break from her YouTube series Storytime with Fergie and Friends.
Sarah Ferguson, 62, who is commonly known as Fergie, revealed she will temporarily stop posting daily videos on her YouTube channel - which she started in lockdown.
The mother-of-two started the channel in April 2020 in order to keep children entertained at home.
In an Instagram story shared yesterday, Fergie reassured her fans that this break is only temporary, and that they will soon be updated when the show resumes.
‘Storytime with Fergie and Friends will be taking a further break. We will update you soon on a return date,’ read a post shared on the mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s Instagram.
Prince Andrew’s ex-wife has been sharing daily videos on her Youtube channel since lockdown in April 2020
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, 62, has announced she will be taking a break from her YouTube series Storytime with Fergie and Friends
The grandmother-of-two shared her last video to date on New Year’s Eve, where she read Macca’s Christmas Crackers by Matt Cosgrove. It has been watched nearly 140,000 times.
Other videos have seen her dress up as Little Red Riding Hood and don flower crowns and unicorn hats as part of her animated readings.
It comes after Fergie was spotted at Verbier’s ski resort in Switzerland.
She was joined by Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank as well as Princess Beatrice, her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi and his son Wolfie.
The families celebrated the New Year together at the Duke of York’s £17million luxury chalet - which was thought to be up for sale earlier this year - that overlooks the exclusive resort.
Fergie’s daily videos, where she often read children’s book by authors she loves - and sometimes her own titles, were watched by thousands at the peak of lockdown.
Sarah Ferguson, 60, treated her fans to two videos today as she dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood to read the classic children’s tale on her YouTube channel (pictured)
The Duchess of York donned a red hooded cape and was joined by a mystery guest in a wolf mask and nightgown (pictured)
In the first episode of ‘Storytime with Fergie and Friends,’ which she posted to her YouTube channel, Sarah put on a very animated performance as she read kid’s classic Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd.
Every since that first clip was shared, the mother-of-two has been updating the channel, often daily, with new videos where she could be seen reading children’s stories.
In total, Fergie has shared 543 videos on the channel, gathering more than 42,500 subscribers.
Her latest video was watched by 139,481 fans, but they will have to wait to watch another of her videos.
The news comes as Fergie’s ex-husband Prince Andrew, 61, is currently awaiting a ruling on whether a lawsuit related to allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre, then 17, on three occasions in 2001 will be dismissed by a judge in New York.
Ms Giuffre, now 38, claims she was trafficked by billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with the prince - at Maxwell’s London home, at Epstein’s New York mansion and on his private island in the Caribbean.
Fergie’s last video was shared on New Year’s Eve and watched by nearly 140,000 fans. She read Macca’s Christmas Crackers by Matt Cosgrove
The Duchess shared DIY activities and read children’s books on her Youtube channel, which counts more than 42,500 subscribers
Prince Andrew vehemently denies the claims, but his legal team is currently battling to have the case thrown out on a ’technicality’ on the basis she waived her right to sue him when she signed an earlier £370,000 ($500,000) legal settlement with Epstein.
They have also accused Ms Giuffre of being after ‘another payday at his expense’.
A ruling on whether the case will proceed to trial could be re returned this week following a hearing last Tuesday.
The allegations, though, have mired the duke for the last two years and led to a car crash interview with Emily Maitlis on Newsnight in which he claimed he was ‘unable to sweat’.
Sarah launched the daily YouTube show (pictured) during lockdown in order to entertain little ones stuck at home
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew, pictured in 2019, is currently awaiting a ruling on whether a lawsuit related to allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre , then 17, on three occasions in 2001 will be dismissed by a judge in New York
It has been reported by the Sunday Times that his expensive list of advisers totals an estimated £2 million.
The list includes a solicitor nicknamed ‘Good News Gary’ and a barrister who represented crime boss Terry Adams and Britain’s most violent prisoner Charles Bronson.
The duke’s ex-wife Sarah is understood to have also been involved in briefing against Ms Giuffre.
A source said the situation ‘is a shambles’ and Andrew is ‘getting terrible advice’, while he has not been helped by his family having ‘given up on him’.
The allegations first came to light in 2011, but the prince did not provide public explanation until the November 2019 interview on Newsnight.
Sources say he agreed to the interview due to be a keenness to fix his reputation before his 60th birthday and the wedding of daughter Princess Beatrice.
It is understood he wanted to ‘get on the front foot’ and finally get his side of the story across to the public.
Andrew was initially dismissive of appearing on Newsnight for an interview on the basis his public relations adviser Jason Stein, former special adviser to Amber Rudd, believed it to be bad idea.
However, he was subsequently convinced by his private secretary Amanda Thirsk.
Duchess of York’s sister Jane Ferguson Luedecke enjoys a family reunion at Sydney airport
]
She’s settled on New South Wales’ Central Coast after finding love in Australia with her new partner Ramin Marzbani.
And Jane Ferguson Luedecke, 64, the sister of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was finally reunited with her daughter Ayesha Makim-Spencer at Sydney airport last week.
In emotional scenes, mother and daughter tearfully embraced at the airport’s arrivals gate.
Doting grandmother: Jane Ferguson Luedecke, 64, the sister of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was finally reunited with her daughter Ayesha Makim-Spencer at Sydney airport last week
The grandmother was then introduced to her two-year-old granddaughter, whom she has been unable to meet due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Traveling with them was 36-year-old Ayesha’s photographer husband, Sacha Specker.
The family are based in Sacha’s native South Africa.
Reunion: In emotional scenes, mother and daughter tearfully embraced at the airport’s arrivals gate
Pretty in pink: Proud grandmother Jane was unmissable in pink trousers, a pink patterned blouse and elaborately patterned shoes
Proud grandmother Jane was unmissable in pink trousers, a pink patterned blouse and elaborately patterned shoes.
She capped off the look with a bright blue face mask and carried a balloon that read ‘Welcome to Australia’.
Her partner Ramin was also hard to miss in a loud Hawaiian shirt.
Bright on! She capped off the look with a bright blue face mask and carried a balloon that read ‘Welcome to Australia’. L-R: Sacha Specker, Ramin Marzbani, Jane, Ayesha and Poppy
Distinctive: Her partner Ramin was also hard to miss in a loud Hawaiian shirt
Back to black: Jane’s daughter meanwhile kept things simple in a black Pink Floyd singlet and black leggings
Jane’s daughter meanwhile kept things simple in a black Pink Floyd singlet and black leggings.
Ayesha and her brother Seamus are Jane’s two children from her first marriage to Alex Makim.
Ayesha was raised in Australia, but now lives in South Africa with her husband and their daughter.
The look of love: The grandmother was then introduced to her two-year-old granddaughter, whom she has been unable to meet due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
History: Ayesha and her brother Seamus are Jane’s two children from her first marriage to Alex Makim
Worlds apart: Ayesha was raised in Australia, but now lives in South Africa with her husband and their daughter
PR guru Jane last year disclosed that her sister Sarah heartily approves of her new relationship, in an interview with New Idea.
Jane said that Sarah and Ramin ‘got on like a house on fire’ when they met at Princess Eugenie’s 2018 wedding.
When asked if she was considering marrying Ramin, Jane admitted: ‘Probably not, because we’re happy as we are.’
The couple met at an airport business lounge in 2010 and now live and work together.
Jane also revealed Ramin ‘died right there on the table’ in front of her six years ago after suffering a catastrophic heart attack at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.
Tick of approval: PR guru Jane last year disclosed that her sister Sarah, the Duchess of York, heartily approves of her new relationship, in an interview with New Idea
Happy: Jane said that Sarah and Ramin ‘got on like a house on fire’ when they met at Princess Eugenie’s 2018 wedding
Status quo: When asked if she was considering marrying Ramin, Jane admitted: ‘Probably not, because we’re happy as we are’
Meanwhile, Jane and Ramin have developed a range of pet products together, as she explained in a bizarre television interview last year.
She left viewers baffled when she appeared on The Morning Show in September, flanked by her two huge dogs.
She explained that Ruby and Rufus were licking frozen food from a special silicone mat she’d developed to help keep dogs occupied while their owners are on Zoom calls.
‘[My sister] actually does have five of these!’ she said. ‘Probably other members of the Royal Family use them too!’
The fall of Prince Andrew – a timeline
]
The stripping of Prince Andrew’s military roles and royal patronages marks a nadir for the Queen’s second son, since sexual assault accusations arose amid concern over his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It’s a fall from grace for the 61-year-old, who was once second-in-line to the throne.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Prince Charles and baby Prince Andrew, on the lawns at Balmoral, September 1960. Photograph: PA
19 February 1960
Prince Andrew is born at Buckingham Palace, becoming the first child born to a reigning monarch since Princess Beatrice to Queen Victoria.
1979
Andrew joins the Royal Navy as a trainee helicopter pilot. He studies at Dartmouth naval college and completes Royal Marines courses.
Prince Andrew returns from the Falklands war in September 1982. Photograph: David Levenson/Getty Images
1982
The prince serves in the Falklands war, after Argentinian forces invade the British overseas territory in the south Atlantic. He served on HMS Invincible as a Sea King helicopter co-pilot.
1984
Andrew is promoted to lieutenant, and the Queen makes him her personal aide-de-camp. He serves aboard HMS Brazen as a flight pilot until 1986.
The wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey, London, 23 July 1986. Photograph: John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images
July 1986
Thousands line streets in central London as Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey, and on the same day the Queen makes him Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh. They have two daughters, Princess Beatrice, born in August 1988 and Princess Eugenie, born in March 1990.
March 1992
He and the Duchess of York announce they are to separate. Divorce is finalised in May 1996, although the two remain close.
1999
Andrew is reportedly introduced to Epstein, an investment banker and financier, through a mutual friend, Ghislaine Maxwell – the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell. A photograph that comes to light during Maxwell’s 2021 trial for sex trafficking shows her and Epstein at the Queen’s Balmoral residence that year.
2000
Epstein, Maxwell and Andrew are seen at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Later that year, Epstein and Maxwell attend a joint birthday party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen, and the prince throws a shooting weekend for Maxwell’s birthday.
An undated photo taken at an undisclosed location shows Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell. Photograph: US District Court/AFP/Getty Images
March 2001
According to Virginia Giuffre, Andrew sexually assaults her at Maxwell’s home in Belgravia, London and also twice more, at Epstein’s New York home and at an “orgy” on his private island in the Caribbean when she was 17.
The allegation has prompted a comprehensive denial from the Duke of York.
July 2001
Andrew retires from the Royal Navy as commander. He was later given a promotion to rear admiral in 2010 and vice admiral in 2015.
The government appoints him as special representative for international trade and investment. He represents the UK at trade fairs and conferences around the world.
December 2010
The prince visits Epstein in New York, after his release from prison for pleading guilty to prostituting minors. They are photographed walking through Central Park.
May 2010
The Duchess of York is filmed by a tabloid reporter claiming the prince would meet a donor and pass on business contacts if she received £500,000.
July 2011
Andrew quits his trade envoy role after a furore about him visiting Epstein in New York after he had been jailed for sexual offences. Ferguson also admits accepting money from Epstein to pay off debts.
April 2015
Allegations that Andrew had sex with Giuffre emerge in court documents in Florida related to Epstein. They say she was forced to have sex with him when she was 17, which is under the age of consent under Florida law. Buckingham Palace denies the allegations.
August 2019
Epstein is found dead in his jail cell after being re-arrested and charged with sex trafficking.
Andrew during the famous interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis. Photograph: Mark Harrison/BBC/PA
November 2019
Andrew steps back from public duties “for the foreseeable future” after a disastrous BBC TV interview where he claims he could not have had sex with Giuffre because he was at home after a visit to Pizza Express in Woking, that her description of his dancing with her beforehand could not be true because he was unable to sweat and that he had “no recollection of ever meeting this lady”.
12 January 2022
A New York judge rejects the prince’s attempts to throw out a sexual abuse civil lawsuit brought against him by Giuffre.
13 January 2022
The Queen strips her son of a range of military affiliations and royal patronages after more than 150 veterans write to describe their “upset and anger”.
Sarah Ferguson is a lemon drizzle fiend
]
Conway eReader Headlines
Would you like to receive a link to the Conway Daily Sun online eEdition and preview the top stories? Signup today!
What is Prince Andrew net worth? Royal’s yearly allowance 8X average UK salary
]
Prince Andrew appears to be building up a war chest ahead of the potential court case between him and Virginia Giuffre in New York. But what is his net worth and where does he get his money?
Prince Andrew is set to face a civil trial following claims made against him by Virginia Giuffre, despite hopes that the case would be thrown out by a New York judge.
The Duke of York has repeatedly denied these allegations and his legal team believed the case should be dismissed. However, a US judge has ruled that the case will go ahead.
The trial, which could be costly for the Royal, will leave Prince Andrew with the options including fighting the case or settling.
While he’s been doing this, he’s also been looking for a buyer for his luxury £17 million Swiss chalet.
It is thought the cash he’s made, by selling the property, will go into funding his defence or, potentially, help settle with Giuffre.
However, the £17 million sale of the chalet in itself asks questions about the amount of money the royal has.
What is Prince Andrew’s net worth?
Image: Mark Large/ANL/REX/Shutterstock) Mark Large/ANL/REX/Shutterstock)
Reports claim that Prince Andrew has an estimated fortune valued at £32.5 million.
However, it is understood that the Duke only has only had a single source of income for over 20 years.
Where does Prince Andrew get his money?
The Prince left the Navy in 2001 and since then he was been given a £249,000 allowance by Buckingham Palace in return for participation in royal activities, the i reports.
This equates to around eight times the average UK salary of £31,285.
His royal duties came to a grinding halt after the infamous Newsnight interview in 2019, where his alleged friendship with Epstein was discussed.
He is believed to also get a £20,000 pension from the Navy, although it is not known if he also gets money from the Queen.
Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)
In 2007, he sold the home he had shared with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Sunninghill Park, for £14.4 million.
The couple were given the property as a wedding present from the Queen, after tying the knot in 1986, and it was sold to Timor Kulibayev, son-in-law to the president of Kazakhstan 21 years later.
Prince Andrew has enjoyed a lavish lifestyle with holidays in St Tropez and a range of other destinations frequented by the rich and famous.
It was in 2014 that he snapped up his £13 million chalet in Verbier, which has seven bedrooms, a swimming pool, sauna and sun terrace.
And, in 2021, he was seen attending Prince Philip’s funeral in a new £220,000 Flying Spur Bentley, which he had resprayed in racing green.