May be they're leaving that part to the lawyers. At any rate, theirs is a togetherness that clearly seems designed for public consumption. In a scene reminiscent of the 1989 movie War of the Roses, the Yorks are bunking these days in separate wings of their 25-room Sunninghill Park estate and have hired high-priced legal help to divvy up the spoils of their six-year marriage. At stake are Fergie's jewels, royal alimony, the furnishings of the Yorks' $8.7 million home and, of course, the future of their daughters.
Beatrice and Eugenie may be one of Fergie's strongest bargaining chips in getting a healthy financial settlement. The Queen will undoubtedly want to keep her grandchildren nearby so that she can closely supervise their upbringing. (The kids are fifth and sixth in line to the throne—after Princes Charles, William, Harry and Andrew.) "While Fergie is expected to win custody of the two girls," said the Daily Star, "the royal family will take control of them."
Controlling Fergie, however, may prove to be a different matter, especially when it comes to spilling royal family gossip to the public. Always a wild card, she may become even more unpredictable once the Windsor ties are unbound. "If she couldn't be controlled while within the Palace framework," said one insider, "what chance is there once those constraints are no longer there?"
The Palace can only hope that with Fergie, money talks—and she doesn't. Any divorce settlement is sure to include a gag order that, if broken, will jeopardize her financial agreement, curtail her time with the children, or both. "There will be car-rot-and-stick clauses," a senior aide to the Queen told the Daily Mirror. "The Duchess will be told quite clearly that if news or information gets out publicly, she could be 'fined.' "
Such hush money will have to be considerable to top the reported $2 million Fergie was offered last week by a U.S. publisher to tell her story. Only the British lawyers know for certain what sums are being discussed in the property talks, but last week estimates ran as high as $34 million—or half of Andrew's reported worth. Most observers, though, reckon that Fergie will settle in the $9 million range.
Hammering out the agreement for Andrew will be Fiona Shackleton, a $300-per-hour lawyer from the Queen's solicitors, Fairer & Co., who also represented Princesses Margaret and Anne when their marriages fell apart. In Fergie's corner is Charles Doughty, a $455-per-hour ace regarded in Britain as the Rolls-Royce of divorce lawyers. Doughty joined forces with the Duchess earlier this year after her former attorney, Lord Goodman, who is Jewish, quit to protest her January visit to the Florida Everglades Club, which excludes Jews. Fergie has also been seeking public relations pointers from David McDonough, the same PR man who in the past advised her on the importance of presenting herself to the media as a caring mother.
If the Duchess decides to remain at Sunninghill Park—and bets are that Andrew will return to his former bachelor digs at Buckingham Palace—the division of its contents will not be an issue. If she leaves (she has reportedly told friends that she "hates" the mansion), any family heirlooms, paintings, furniture or porcelain would be retained by the royal family. According to the Daily Mail, Fergie may settle for the As-prey silverware, 24 Chippendale chairs, a Venetian chandelier, the bed and wardrobe designed by Viscount Linley (Margaret's son) and a Georgian mahogany dining table. In any event she will be allowed to keep the jewelry Andrew gave her, which includes a diamond-and-ruby engagement ring valued at $43,000 and a diamond pendant and pearl necklace she wore on her wedding day. She will also keep the $103,000 diamond-cluster necklace and matching earrings given to her by the Queen and Prince Philip. In addition, Fergie will get the Jaguar XJS Cabriolet bought for $62,000 in 1990, when she and Andrew took delivery of his-and-her Jaguars.
The booty on the table seemed generous in light of the statement made by BBC Radio's court correspondent, Paul Reynolds, after a private briefing from Charles Anson, the Queen's press secretary. "The knives are out for Fergie at the Palace," said Reynolds on the air less than two hours after the separation was formally announced. "They are talking about her unsuitability for public life, royal life."
When Anson was named as the source of Reynolds's observations, the press secretary apologized for making statements that had not been authorized by the Queen—a breach of protocol as wide as the Thames—and offered to resign. Anson's indiscretion was described by one insider as "an emotional outburst resulting from pent-up frustration over the Fergie problem. It was his way of saying good riddance."
With the Yorks' marital problems out in the open, the tabloids had a field day dusting off rumors of romantic liaisons. Reports that Steve Wyatt, the Texas playboy whose friendship with Fergie so offended her royal in-laws, had proffered her refuge on his parents' 20,000-acre ranch near Corpus Christi turned out to be false. And rumors that Andrew had resumed his romance with old flame Koo Stark, now 35, the former soft-porn actress turned photographer he dated in 1982, seemed to be no more than wishful thinking on the part of the tabs—although the News of the World reported that Andrew telephoned Koo to warn her that he and Fergie were splitting. Koo reportedly dodged the British press by fleeing to New York City.
By March 23, four days after their separation announcement, the Yorks' effort to show a united front had switched its focus to their children. But it was a wan-looking Fergie, joined later by Andrew, who presided over a second-birthday party for daughter Eugenie at Sunninghill Park. The scene seemed festive enough—a dozen toddlers, a kid-size castle, helium balloons and a giant inflatable whale. But it also served as a reminder that Bea's and Eugenie's futures were about to change dramatically. Commented Penny Junor, author of four royal biographies, in the Evening Standard: "Whatever happens, there is no doubt that as the drama unfolds, it will be the little Princesses who are the losers."
MARY H.J. FARRELL
TERRY SMITH and ANNE CONSTABLE in London
- Contributors:
- Terry Smith,
- Anne Constable.
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