How Fergie’s ‘Bridgerton’ money-making scheme collapsed: It was her ‘two-fingers up’ to Meghan and she was ‘tantalisingly close’. Now a top producer sneers to ‘It’s dead and buried’

by

Sarah Ferguson had a big plan to break into Hollywood society and fix the financial problems she and her former husband were facing. However, the plan failed this week.

Sources say the Duchess of York has been actively seeking a significant and profitable agreement to adapt her novels, *Her Heart For A Compass* and *A Most Intriguing Lady*, into a high-profile television series.

I hear Fergie had been developing her music with producers for quite some time and was almost ready to achieve major financial success.

She’d already planned out the visual flow and storyline for the series, which had been proposed to popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.

Fergie’s hopes of boosting her income, and that of her ex-husband Prince Andrew with whom she shares a home at Royal Lodge, have been dashed. This follows a Mail on Sunday report exposing overly complimentary emails she sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling him a ‘supreme friend,’ just weeks after publicly saying she was no longer associated with him.

According to a Hollywood insider familiar with the project, the series is no longer moving forward and has been cancelled.

Sarah’s connection to this scandal, especially now, is really damaging to the project and will likely prevent it from moving forward.

Fergie, 65, confidently told friends and in public that her upcoming movie would launch her into Hollywood stardom, and she even predicted it could earn her prestigious awards like a Golden Globe or an Emmy.

Published in 2021 and written with Marguerite Kaye, *Her Heart For A Compass* is a historical novel inspired by the life of Ferguson’s ancestor, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott.

The story unfolds during the Victorian period, moving between impressive homes in England, Scotland, Ireland, and 1870s New York.

Oh my gosh, it shot straight to the top of the Sunday Times bestseller list – I was *obsessed*! And the publishers? They knew they had something special and immediately signed the author up for another book. She described it as ‘Peaky Blinders meets Pride and Prejudice,’ and honestly, that description is EVERYTHING. I’ve been counting down the days!

Someone familiar with the show’s creation explained that it would have been a hit with fans of shows like Bridgerton and Downton Abbey, as there’s a large audience for that type of program in the US.

‘It’s a great shame really, as it sounded like it was actually going to be a really good watch.’

Honestly, I got the sense that Meghan Markle’s new cooking show was really about proving a point. People are saying it felt like a direct response to Harry and Meghan stepping back from royal duties – a way to show everyone she *could* succeed in this new path, even when others doubted her. It’s no secret the show got some pretty harsh reviews when it first came out, but I think there was more to it than just cooking. It felt personal, like she was determined to demonstrate she could make it on her own terms.

Fergie was really excited about her new drama and even tried to get Sam Heughan, the star of Outlander, to play the main role. However, sources say he ultimately didn’t join the cast.

A highly successful Los Angeles producer, specializing in securing broadcast and streaming deals for books, stated last night that the recent scandal involving Sarah Ferguson has likely killed the chances of her show being picked up. The producer believes the connection to Jeffrey Epstein makes the project too damaging to the brand for any Hollywood company to take on right now.

Sources say Sarah was aiming to create books similar to the popular series Bridgerton. She clearly leveraged her status as a real-life princess to appeal to American audiences again.

The first book didn’t generate much excitement, but the second book showed real potential and seemed like a promising product to market.

Ugh, everyone’s talking about how ‘absolutely not!’ this whole thing is now. Honestly, it started as something I was *so* excited about, but it’s become way too messy and controversial. It’s just… a project that’s gone completely off the rails, and it’s breaking my heart to watch. I wish they’d just stop, but I’m still glued to every update, even though it’s probably terrible for my mental health!

A source close to the situation said it was inevitable that Fergie would be asked about the email and her connection to Epstein if she appeared on American television.

This failed TV series wasn’t Sarah Ferguson’s first experience with entertainment. She previously co-produced the film *The Young Victoria* with Martin Scorsese, a biographical drama starring Emily Blunt. She also successfully adapted her *Budgie The Little Helicopter* children’s books into an animated series that ran for three seasons in the mid-1990s.

But this was the project that she hoped would make her name in the entertainment industry.

She loves historical fiction and openly admits to being a Bridgerton enthusiast. Last year, she even expressed interest in appearing on the show as a guest star.

I was so excited to see the Duchess of York on Lorraine recently! She was chatting with Sally Dynevor – whose daughter Phoebe is doing wonderfully in Bridgerton, by the way. Lorraine Kelly jokingly suggested she could join the cast of Coronation Street, but the Duchess confessed she’s actually dreaming of being *in* Bridgerton herself! Honestly, I’d love to see that – she’d be perfect!

She enthusiastically agreed to appear in Bridgerton and has already let Shonda Rhimes, the show’s producer, know she’s on board. She told Shonda, ‘I’m in!’

But after recent events, Shonda won’t be picking up the phone any time soon.

Read More

2025-09-24 02:57