Fergie’s late mother’s scathing opinion of Andrew exposed in book on his downfall

Published 4 hours ago
Source: metro.co.uk
2025 has seen one humiliation after another for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The former prince was stripped of his royal titles earlier this year, becoming a commoner after more details about his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released. Meanwhile, he also lost his last remaining military title this week, being downgraded from Vice-Admiral to ‘Commander’. Now, some old comments from his late former mother-in-law have been put back in the spotlight thanks to a book on his rise and fall. (Picture: Getty Images)
File photo dated 23/07/1986 of Prince Andrew and his bride Sarah Ferguson waving to crowds as they leave Westminster Abbey, London after their wedding ceremony. When Princess Eugenie's parents married, Britain was in the grip of "Fergie Fever". PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Sunday October 7, 2018. A worldwide television of 500 million tuned in to watch Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson say their marriage vows in a lavish ceremony in Westminster Abbey. See PA story ROYAL Wedding Yorks. Photo credit should read: PA/PA Wire
The former prince married Sarah Ferguson – the former Duchess of York – at Westminster Abbey on July 23 1986, with the royal wedding televised across the world. However, the book has revealed just what Fergie’s late mother, Susan Barrantes, really thought of Andrew.
(Picture: PA)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Victoria Jones/Shutterstock (15487116bb) Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York and Prince Andrew depart Westminster Abbey after the Requiem Mass for The Duchess of Kent State funeral for The Duchess of Kent, Westminster Abbey, London, UK - 16 Sep 2025
The comments have come to light in Entitled: The Rise and Fall Of The House of York by author Andrew Lownie, which draws from accounts of those close to the couple. And Susan, who died in a car crash in September 1998 aged 61, didn’t mince words when it came to her son-in-law and suggested that the marriage might have lasted if Andrew ‘had character’. (Picture: Victoria Jones/Shutterstock)
epa12461118 (FILE) - Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, departs after the Coronation of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, London, Britain, 06 May 2023 (reissued 17 October 2025). Prince Andrew gives up his title of the Duke of York and the membership in the Order of the Garter, due to his links to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, as he announced in a statement on 17 October 2025. EPA/ANDY RAIN
Speaking during an interview with Italian magazine Gente, the documentary filmmaker said of Andrew: ‘He’s a good-looking boy and has a heart of gold to the point where he would be without any money himself to help someone, but he just hasn’t got any character – absolutely none. If only he had character, perhaps his marriage wouldn’t have broken up.’ The couple separated in 1992, just months before Charles and Princess Diana announced their own split, and their divorce was finalised in 1996. (Picture: EPA)
Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock (14523556ap) Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York, Duchess of York 'Good Morning Britain' TV show, London, UK - 05 Jun 2024
Following their split, Ferguson – or ‘Fergie’ as she’s affectionately known – went from being a well-liked royal to the ‘most unpopular’ in opinion polls. As Lownie puts it: ‘Having announced their separation, the Yorks perhaps understood that their royal lustre had been tarnished.’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
As well as losing his royal status, the former Prince also had his last titles officially removed earlier this month – meaning he is no longer a member of the Order of The Garter, or a Knight of the Grand Cross Of The Royal Victoria Order. Speculation has continued to swirl over where he will live after he was evicted from the Royal Lodge – the Grade II-listed, 30-room Windsor home which he had lived in for 22 years. Sarah Ferguson, who also lived there, was also reported in October to be moving out. (Picture: Getty Images)

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 06: Prince Andrew, Duke of York departs Westminster Abbey after the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
While it’s been widely reported that Andrew will move to a property on the grounds of Sandringham, a royal estate in Norfolk, latest reports suggest he could end up in a much smaller property compared to a ‘showbox’ while the one he is meant to move into undergoes renovation work. However, this is said to be a lot smaller than the Royal Lodge – with the contents of that property already being moved out ahead of his departure next year. (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
FILE - Britain's Prince Andrew speaks during a television interview at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, April 11, 2021. Lawyers for Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 17, formally asked a judge Tuesday to dismiss her lawsuit. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP, File)
‘A lorry has been and gone under the cover of darkness,’ a source told Daily Mail. ‘Andrew is going to a shoebox-sized house, compared to Royal Lodge, so a lot of the things that were taken are going into a storage unit. The clutter at Royal Lodge is turning what should be a straightforward move into a months-long, room-by-room excavation.’ The insider suggested moving all of Andrew’s belongings could be a ‘painfully slow’ process. (Picture: AP)

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