A French socialite and property owner who was owed millions by the Duke of York is upset after learning Sarah Ferguson purchased a £5 million Mayfair home.
Isabelle de Rouvre, 74, was awarded £6.8 million from the sale of a Swiss chalet in 2014, but decided to accept just half of the money because she felt the Yorks were in financial difficulty.
Ms de Rouvre’s chalet in Verbier was purchased for £18 million by Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, although she only received £13 million up front. Ms de Rouvre sold it to them instead of putting it on the market after the royals leased it from her in the early 2010s.
The remaining £5 million was to be paid in instalments with interest, but this had not been paid by 2021, leaving the family owing a total of £6.8 million.
Ms de Rouvre allegedly settled for £3.4 million because she felt both the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were financially strapped.
Today, however, the socialite expressed her indignation when it was discovered that Fergie had purchased a £5 million Mayfair house as a “long-term investment” for her children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Ms de Rouvre described the revelation as “amazing and astonishing,” adding that Fergie “didn’t have a dime.”
It was also revealed today that the Prince’s settlement with sexual assault complainant Virginia Guiffre might have been as low as £3 million.
‘I recognized they didn’t have the money and feared he’d be going to jail in America, so I considered it best to acquire what I could,’ the French socialite told The Telegraph.
‘I am appalled to learn that she has now spent millions on another house.’ It is just fantastic, as is the whole narrative.
‘From my perspective, it’s a nasty tale.’ I assumed they didn’t have any money.’
Ms Ferguson, who described herself as “constantly on the verge of bankruptcy” in 2010, purchased the £5 million mansion in central London, only a few minutes walk from Ghislaine Maxwell’s former home.
The house is divided into two apartments and is located on a quiet cobblestone lane that was popular with The Beatles in the 1960s and, more recently, Prince Harry, Rihanna, and the stars of the reality show Made In Chelsea. According to a representative for Prince Andrew, he was not involved in the acquisition of the property.
According to sources, Fergie and Andrew have no intentions to leave their 30-room Windsor castle, seeing the London property as an investment for daughters Eugenie and Beatrice.
Fergie has a history of financial difficulties, having lost almost £3.2 million in the bankruptcy of Hartmoor, her US ‘lifestyle and wellness’ firm, and subsequently being caught in a tabloid trap promising access to Prince Andrew for £500,000.
Although her capacity to finance the house is being questioned, insiders close to the 62-year-old say her financial situation improved once she established a writing career that resulted in many book sales.
Most recently, this includes a 22-book agreement that included at least three young adult fiction works.
In order to escape bankruptcy, she took £15,000 from Jeffrey Epstein, the paedophile financier who connected Prince Andrew to Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre.
Fergie is claimed to have bought the house from her pal, the Duke of Westminster, 31, who became one of Britain’s richest people in 2016 after inheriting his father’s £10 billion fortune and the Grosvenor property empire.
According to witnesses, the Duchess was seen examining the residence in late April – and then fleeing into a waiting car. They acknowledged to being pleased to have yet another celebrity neighbor.
Meanwhile, the Duke of York has listed the Swiss chalet for sale, but he has been struck repeated blows in attempting to find a buyer after debts caused the chalet to be frozen as an asset several times.
Ms de Rouvre dubbed the prince a “fool” when the chalet was frozen again in June of this year, this time because a couple claimed he owed them £1.6 million.
She previously said that she pities the pair, whose identities are being withheld, given the agony she went through attempting to retrieve the money due to her after selling Chalet Helora to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 2014.
‘It was a dreadful experience,’ she claimed. I don’t understand how he works, and I feel terrible for anyone who do business with him.
‘It’s almost incredible.’ He caused me so much anguish, and now it’s being alleged that other individuals are due money as well.
‘They [Andrew and Sarah] are really insane. ‘He [Andrew] is a complete moron, and I have no idea how he goes about his life.’
Ms de Rouvre’s remarks came after it was revealed that the Prince’s reimbursement to Virginia Guiffre, a sex trafficking victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, might have been as low as £3 million.
Ms Guiffre struck an out-of-court settlement with the Duke of York this year, which may total £12 million when her legal fees and a contribution to a charity of her choice are deducted.