Why Sarah Ferguson's Downfall Should Be a Cautionary Tale For Meghan Markle
For decades, the Duke and Duchess of York have stood as a cautionary tale of how personal scandals can corrode the monarchy’s standing. The recent string of embarrassments involving Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew, and their ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has caused lasting damage to the Crown. Charities have cut ties, and the Palace itself has had to shoulder reputational fallout it could scarcely afford. And now, Meghan Markle, commentators suggest, should take heed from Ferguson’s trajectory.
Sarah Vine, royal commentator for the Daily Mail, warned that Markle could risk repeating Ferguson’s mistakes, particularly given the company she keeps. At the centre of Vine’s warning is Markle’s friendship with filmmaker and producer Tyler Perry. The Sussexes are close to Perry, who offered them his Los Angeles home and private security when they left the UK in 2020 and later became godfather to their daughter, Princess Lilibet. While Vine emphasized that Perry is 'no Epstein,' she noted that his reputation is far from uncomplicated. His television empire, though commercially successful, has drawn criticism for reinforcing racial stereotypes. In June, he was also named in a lawsuit filed by an actor seeking over £200 million in damages for alleged workplace misconduct — a claim Perry’s lawyers strongly deny.
While Perry comes nowhere close to Epstein, Vine wrote, “but he’s also not a wholly straightforward acquaintance.” The lesson, she argued, is that public figures who lean on powerful friends risk becoming entangled in controversies that can overshadow their own reputations. “The situation that the Duchess of York now faces ought to be a red flag for the Sussexes,” she cautioned.
Vine also highlighted another shared trait — a taste for luxury. “They both demand and expect the absolute VIP treatment at all times,” she reported, citing sources familiar with both women. That pursuit of high living, combined with reliance on wealthy patrons, can create what Vine described as a 'Hogarthian progression' of increasingly questionable allies.
One of the clearest echoes is their appetite for commercial ventures. Ferguson launched lifestyle products and starred in a documentary series about her struggles. Markle has followed a similar path with her Netflix deals, her lifestyle brand As Ever, and her investment in the start-up Clevr Blends. Both also went to Oprah Winfrey to tell their stories — Ferguson through a series on Winfrey’s OWN network, and Markle through her bombshell 2021 interview alongside Harry.
The parallels extend further. Both Ferguson and Markle married the royal family’s second-born sons rather than the heirs and entered the institution as unconventional, disruptive figures who initially injected energy into the monarchy but soon clashed with its rigid expectations.
While Vine acknowledged the differences “as unpleasant as the Duchess of Sussex has been towards the royal family," she again stressed that Markle is not yet in "the same league as the Duchess of York.” She insisted that the warning signs are, nevertheless, too strong to ignore. “It’s a cautionary tale,” she said. “Let’s hope they take heed.”
That history is increasingly cited in discussions about the Sussexes’ impact on the monarchy. Critics argue that the Palace has been too slow to establish boundaries, not only with the Yorks but also with the Sussexes, whose high-profile departure and ongoing media ventures have stirred concern over reputational damage. Lee Cohen, writing for GB News, however, drew a stark distinction: “If the Yorks are a liability due to their ineptitude, the Sussexes are a threat because of their intent. Their departure from royal duties might have been understandable had they done so quietly. Instead, they chose spectacle over discretion, grievance over gratitude.”
Adding to the warning, Cohen said, "Any entertainment of Harry’s returning to public service in Britain should be immediately extinguished. He’s shown himself to be dangerous and untrustworthy.”