Fergie's Lavish Spending and Costly Excess Luggage
The former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, became notorious for her extravagant spending habits, including spending an extraordinary £515 on a teddy bear she could not technically fly home.
Excess Luggage Fine After New York Trip
Shortly after marrying Prince Andrew, Sarah was fined nearly £1,000 for carrying over fifty pieces of excess luggage on a first-class flight home from New York. Her luggage contained items worth approximately £33,000, including the costly teddy bear.
“Not even Joan Collins has this much,” said a Heathrow baggage handler at the time.
The palace did not disclose who covered Sarah’s expenses on that occasion.
Annual Spending Revealed
Her financial advisor, John Bryan, found that Sarah was spending over £860,000 yearly. This included:
- £150,000 on gifts
- £50,000 on flowers
- £50,000 on parties
Early Work Experience
Before marrying, Sarah had a variety of typical upper-class jobs, including cleaning ski chalets and working at a publishing company.
“I cleaned lavatories when I was 18 and graduates' bedrooms; they all left it very messy. And then the waitress in a strudel house,” she told the Swedish television show Skavlan.
Her early jobs contrast sharply with the extravagant lifestyle she later adopted.
Author's summary: Sarah Ferguson's wild spending peaked with costly excess luggage fines and a yearly expenditure nearing £1 million, contrasting her humble early jobs.