Sarah Ferguson: Prince Andrew's ex wife believes Buckingham Palace behind toe-sucking scandal

1992 is defined as the late Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’. As monarch and matriarch of the Royal Family, Elizabeth II had to navigate many family scandals, including ‘Fergie’s foot job’.

What actually happened?

Five months after Prince Andrew announced their separation in March 1992, Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson was holidaying in the South of France with her financial advisor and friend, John Bryan.

However, what was meant to be a relaxing getaway turned into the stuff of nightmares for Fergie. She was photographed at her St Topez villa in a rather compromising position with the Texan millionaire. In one shot, a young Princess Eugenie can be seen watching her mother and Bryan ‘frolicking’ by the pool.

The snap that ‘caused the most furore’ was one of Bryan ‘sucking’, as the press alleged at the time, Fergie’s toes.

In her memoir, My Story, Fergie describes the photo as ‘the one that would define me for years to come’.

Sarah also wrote that she believed Buckingham Palace had something to do with the scandal. She claimed that ‘The Firm colluded with the press by leaking details’ of the Duchess’s whereabouts.

According to Newsweek, the Duchess later admitted that her friendship with Bryan had turned intimate.

The fallout

By the time the ‘toe-sucking’ scandal made British headlines, Sarah’s popularity with the public was dwindling. According to Newsweek, Fergie enjoyed great popularity, rivalling Princess Diana’s.

However, while Princess Diana’s popularity remained intact during her marriage breakdown with Prince Charles, Sarah’s took a nosedive when news of her rocky relationship with Prince Andrew started to become apparent.

When the Daily Mail published the photographs, Fergie was reportedly at Balmoral with other senior members of the Royal Family. In her tell-all memoir, Fergie recalls that Queen Elizabeth was furious when Sarah told them of the incident.

Prince Andrew reportedly said:

We’ll just deal with it.

Fergie sought solace in Princess Diana, but royal author Richard Kay claimed that he received a message from Princess Diana stating:

The redhead’s in trouble.

Kay then claimed that Bryan contacted him to get an early copy of the newspaper. According to the writer, the millionaire exclaimed:

I wasn’t sucking her toes; I was kissing them!

Fergie also insisted that no ‘toe-sucking’ took place. She claimed that the pair were ‘playing Cinderella’ and that ‘the whole scene was not nearly as intense as it was made to look.’

Sources used:

- Newsweek: 'The Crown' Season 5: What Really Happened With Sarah Ferguson Toe-Sucking

- The Mirror: The toe-sucking photo that drove Sarah Ferguson out of the royal family

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