Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · October 11, 2025 · Entertainment

Fergie's 'HMS Fergie': Inside the Lavish Bath of the Duchess of Excess

But perhaps one of Fergie's most lavish expenses is that of Sunninghill Park, the former marital home she shared with Prince Andrew in Ascot , Berkshire

The Infamous Sunninghill Park: A Tale of Royal Excess and Financial Folly

In the world of royalty, extravagance is often par for the course. However, few have taken it to the extreme like Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, better known as Fergie. Her reputation for impulsive spending has been well-documented over the years, with reported debts exceeding £3.7 million by 1994. Dubbed the "Duchess of Excess," she was infamous for her wild spending habits on everything from staff and holidays to parties and flowers – all without paying the bill, naturally.

But Fergie's most egregious example of lavish living was undoubtedly Sunninghill Park, the sprawling estate she shared with Prince Andrew in Ascot, Berkshire. This 12-bedroom monstrosity, dubbed "SouthYork" by locals, became a symbol of their out-of-control spending habits and a source of embarrassment for the Royal Family.

But perhaps one of Fergie's most lavish expenses is that of Sunninghill Park, the former marital home she shared with Prince Andrew in Ascot , Berkshire. The 12-bedroom mansion which, in a twist on JR's Dallas ranch Southfork, became known as SouthYork, was eventually sold in 2007

In 1986, the late Queen presented Sunninghill to the newlywed couple as a wedding gift. What could have been a lovely gesture turned into a financial nightmare when Fergie began pouring millions of pounds into its extensive renovations. The project took four years to complete and was marked by controversy from the start. According to insiders, Fergie's designer of choice, American Sister Parrish (who had worked on the White House), submitted a quote of £1 million for the job – far exceeding the Queen's budget.

In an effort to cut costs, the late Queen intervened and forced Fergie to switch to British designer Nina Campbell, who was given a reduced budget of £250,000. But even that wasn't enough to rein in Fergie's spending habits. She began to get creative with fundraising ideas, including inviting Hello! magazine to do a lavish photoshoot at the estate. While it may have seemed like a genius idea at the time, it was met with disapproval from the Palace.

"Nobody in the royal family had ever done a shoot like that," said Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine. "The Queen never commented publicly on it, but she was less than pleased. She saw it as lacking decorum – an invasion of their private lives."

Deemed a 'huge expense' for both the Duke and Duchess of York, Sunninghill took four years to complete, having been initially gifted to the royal couple by the late Queen as a present for their 1986 wedding

Prince Philip, never one to mince his words, described the designs for Sunninghill Park as looking like a "tart's bedroom." The property itself had sparked controversy over its location in a conservation Green Belt zone, forcing several residents to be forcibly evicted from their homes on "security grounds."

The mansion boasted an impressive array of features, including a 35-foot-high stone floor hall with a glass dome and minstrels gallery. The lobby was adorned with a medieval soldier's helmet from Windsor Castle and the head of a North American buffalo. The living room featured a large fireplace and embroidered cushions bearing the entwined initials A and S.

But what really set Sunninghill apart was its sheer excess. Fergie had spared no expense in renovating the estate, including installing 12 phone lines, blast-proof plastic walls, bedrooms with panic buttons, and even a bomb shelter. Towels, flannels, hand soaps, and toilet paper all bore the initials A & S – a touch that was sure to please even the most discerning royal.

Intricate new details about the former grand property have been revealed in Andrew Lownie's bombshell biography about Prince Andrew, including the Duchess' marble bathtub that was dubbed 'HMS Fergie' by builders due to its incredibly vast size

However, behind the opulent façade lay a financial disaster waiting to happen. The annual cost of guarding Sunninghill Park alone was a staggering £300,000. And then there were the hidden costs – like the 24 antique-silver serving dishes costing between £1,500 and £8,000 each, 36 silver and condiment sets, 1,000 crystal glasses, and 300 vases worth up to £600 each.

In a Channel 5 documentary released earlier this year, titled "Fergie, Andrew & The Scandal of SouthYork," Andrew Lownie explained how the Queen eventually put her foot down, saying, "This is crazy." It was clear that Sunninghill Park had become a symbol of Fergie's out-of-control spending habits and a source of embarrassment for the Royal Family.

After Prince Andrew and Fergie's high-profile divorce in 1996, the Prince moved out of the mansion, leaving Fergie, Princess Beatrice, and Eugenie to make it their home. However, even they couldn't keep up with the maintenance costs, and Sunninghill eventually fell into disrepair.

Dubbed the 'Duchess of Excess', Sarah Ferguson (pictured) is said to have spent wildly on her staff, holidays, parties and flowers, while also running up extortionate bills in stores such as Harrods without footing the bill

In 2015, after lying empty for eight years, the property was demolished – a fitting end to an estate that had become a symbol of royal excess. Its replacement, a new £18million mansion on the same site, remains unoccupied as of 2024.

The story of Sunninghill Park is a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked spending and the importance of living within one's means – especially when it comes to members of the Royal Family.

Upon entering the upmarket haven, dubbed the 'home of the York's dreams', it was clear that not a single expense had been spared in its construction (pictured). According to Lownie, the annual cost of guarding the house alone came to a whopping £300,000

Requisitioned by the American Ninth Air Force squadron of fighter pilots during World War II, the home had initially been earmarked for a young Princess Elizabeth and her fiancé, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten after their 1947 marriage

While the 18th-century home's extensive renovations were eventually completed, according to Talk TV's Royal Editor Sarah Hewson, they had begun to spiral out of control after Fergie's extravagant spending broke the couple's budget

Work had begun on the newbuild, the first Royal newbuild since Bagshot Park in 1879, however it immediately sparked controversy over its design, by architect Dunbar Naismith. When Prince Philip saw the plans, he described it as looking like a “tart’s bedroom”

The Duke and Duchess finally moved into the incredible mansion on October 5, 1990, throwing a huge housewarming party with a jungle theme. The incredible spectacle included fake animals popping out of the bushes, waitresses in leopard skin and Elton John performed

Yet such descriptions of Sunninghill Park are a world away from what the mansion would eventually become. Just 25 years after the Duke and Duchess moved in, the once-lavish mansion was demolished (pictured). In its final years, it was compared to a Tesco superstore

After Prince Andrew and Fergie's high-profile divorce in 1996, the Prince eventually moved out of the purpose-built mansion, while the Duchess, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie remained living at Sunninghill until 2006

After spending five years on the market, the property was eventually purchased by Timur Kulibayev (pictured), son-in-law of the former president of Kazakhstan, in 2007, who controversially paid £3million more than the asking price