Fergie's Lavish Spending and Excess Luggage Fine
The former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, gained a reputation for extravagant spending, including an astonishing £515 spent on a teddy bear, which she was not technically allowed to bring home on her flight.
Excess Luggage Incident
Shortly after marrying Prince Andrew, then known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Ferguson was fined nearly £1,000 for carrying over fifty pieces of excess luggage on a first-class flight from New York. Her luggage contained around £33,000 worth of purchases from the trip, which included the pricey teddy bear.
A Heathrow baggage handler commented at the time: “Not even Joan Collins has this much.”
The palace did not disclose who covered the cost of Ferguson's extravagant expenses on that occasion.
Financial Habits and Spending Overview
Sarah's financial advisor, John Bryan, revealed that she spent over £860,000 annually. This amount included £150,000 on gifts, £50,000 on flowers, and £50,000 on parties, highlighting her continued luxurious lifestyle.
Early Work Experience
Before her marriage, Ferguson had a typical upper-class working background. She shared on the Swedish television show Skavlan how she held various modest jobs:
- Cleaning lavatories and graduates' bedrooms, which were often left messy
- Working as a waitress in a strudel house
“I cleaned lavatories when I was 18 and graduates' bedrooms; they all left it very messy. And then the waitress in a strudel house.”
Author's Summary
Sarah Ferguson’s extravagant lifestyle was marked by extreme spending and excesses, reflecting a sharp contrast between her modest early jobs and later lavish habits.