She’s done some tacky things in her time. Now the revelation that Sarah Ferguson was in talks about a reality TV show involving the Queen’s beloved corgis has been slammed as “unbelievably grotesque and utterly bizarre”.
The dogs were last spotted on a walk around the family’s Sandringham estate in early February. According to a 2023 synopsis of the proposed programme, put together by producers at Los Angeles-based Halcyon Studios, Fergie would embark on a “bold and controversial business venture” that would see her navigate the “complex world of genetics and royal protocol”.
It outlined how she could set up a business to sell the dogs – fetching up to $170,000 each – while managing her “strained relationship” with the royals.
A TV source says, “It was bizarre. One idea was that camera crews would follow Sarah on a journey to clone the dogs with a team of scientists and investors, with a view to selling them around the world.”
A controversial claim
Royal author Richard Fitzwilliams says, “The Queen saw in Sarah a woman who loved horses and dogs – a country woman like herself. That’s why Sarah and Andrew were trusted with her corgis, But for Sarah, everything is a commodity to be monetised. Unfortunately, it’s mad enough to be believable.”
Commercial pet cloning is banned in the UK. However, skin samples from the animal to be cloned can be sent to countries where it is legal, such as the US.
The nucleus of a cell from the DNA sample can be transferred to a donor. It then develops into an embryo. The embryo is implanted into a surrogate dog.
The ethical backlash
Animal welfare campaigners say cloning is cruel. For every successful batch of puppies, there are miscarriages, still births and premature deaths. It’s painful for animals and can lead to genetic abnormalities.
A source says Fergie had a series of meetings with Halcyon in May 2023 to leverage what little remained of her royal status.
‘The Queen saw in Sarah a woman who loved horses and dogs, like herself’
“She was pushing to get back into TV and make some money. She came up with the idea of featuring the Queen’s corgis in a show. And that included the idea of breeding them.”
Fergie has denied she ever intended to participate in the TV show, but confirmed she had held talks with the production company. In a statement, her representative said, “Ms Ferguson regularly receives varied TV offers and proposals – often for reality shows which she always declines.” It added, “To be absolutely clear, she declined the proposal.”
A history of reinvention
It went on to explain that the conversations were about “dogs generally” and ended when she withdrew of her own accord. Halycon closed in 2024 after its parent company went into liquidation. Over the years, Fergie has come up with a range of money-making ideas after nearly ending up bankrupt on several occasions since her 1996 divorce from Andrew.
These include her own reality show, Finding Sarah, TV appearances, writing romance and children’s books, and endorsing brands like Weight Watchers. In 2010, her reputation was left in tatters after she told an undercover journalist posing as a sheikh that she could sell him access to Andrew for a little over a million dollars.
Links to Epstein
She was bailed out financially on occasion by late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the recently released Epstein files show she had emailed asking for money or a job with him. The beleaguered former royal hasn’t been seen since the emails were made public at the end of last year. She’s believed to have been in Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland.
US politicians say she should testify under oath before the Oversight Committee investigating Epstein’s sex trafficking ring about any information she has on her paedophile friend, whom she once described as “the brother I always wished for”.
A risky move
“It is clear Sarah Ferguson and Epstein had a close relationship,” says congressman Suhas Subramanyam.
“She should tell our committee what she knows. If she has nothing to hide, this shouldn’t be a problem.” But a British law expert believes there is “no chance” Fergie will testify in the US as it would be a “disaster for her, her daughters and also for Andrew, as it would show him up for not going”.
