Royal biographer Andrew Lownie has pulled the British royal family into the Sean Combs scandal with explosive new claims about Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. In the updated paperback edition of his book *Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York*, set for release on May 21, Lownie alleges that Ferguson had a years-long relationship with Combs, also known as P. Diddy, and that she brought her teenage daughters into his orbit. According to Lownie’s sources, Ferguson and Combs first met in 2002 at a party hosted by Ghislaine Maxwell, the associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is now serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s trafficking operation.
The book claims their relationship began around 2004, with meetings at hotels across Africa and Europe, including one location reportedly costing £50,000—roughly $65,000—per night. A former Bad Boy Records employee told Lownie’s researchers that Combs was obsessed with the British royal family and openly bragged about his connection to Ferguson. The book includes a quote from a member of Combs’ staff claiming he boasted about his relationship with Ferguson and made remarks about her daughters. Lownie stressed these were boasts by Combs, who is now denying the comments.
Ferguson’s representatives have flatly denied the allegations, calling them “absolute fabricated nonsense” and “blatantly untrue. ” Lownie has not walked back his claims, insisting his sources on both sides are solid. He pointed to Ferguson’s history of denying things that later proved true, though he offered no specific examples in the interview. The book further alleges that Ferguson introduced both of her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to Combs at a yacht party weekend in 2006.
At the time of that alleged meeting, Eugenie was 16 years old. Lownie also claims Ferguson took her children to meet Peter Nygard, the former fashion executive now serving time for sex abuse offenses. There is no documentary evidence or public record confirming the yacht party took place, and Combs’ representatives have not confirmed any connection. Lownie’s book has a notable history with legal pressure.
An earlier edition contained a claim about Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, and Melania Trump that reportedly led to a lawsuit threat from Melania Trump described as worth a billion dollars. Publisher HarperCollins pulled that claim from all future editions. Lownie remains a credentialed, named author standing by his current allegations. Separate from Lownie’s research, documents from the official DOJ Epstein files show that Ferguson had an extensive email relationship with Epstein, the convicted sex offender.
In March 2010, Epstein emailed Ferguson about a trip to New York, and her reply mentioned that she was waiting for her daughter Eugenie to return from what she called a “shagging weekend. ” Eugenie was 19 and an adult at the time, and the email is not evidence that anything improper happened to her, but the context of writing such a comment to a convicted sex offender drew criticism. The released emails show Ferguson calling Epstein “the brother I have always wished for,” asking him for money, and even requesting to work as his house assistant. In April 2011, just one month after publicly expressing horror at child abuse, she sent him an email calling him a “supreme friend” and “a legend.
” In the fall of 2009, she wrote that she urgently needed £20,000 for rent, and later asked to borrow $50,000 to $100,000 to get through small bills. Ferguson has not been accused of crimes related to Epstein. The fallout from the email revelations was significant, with at least six major charities dropping her as a patron, including the British Heart Foundation and the Teenage Cancer Trust. Her spokesman responded that Epstein had threatened to destroy the York family and that any kind words she said were said under that pressure.
Lownie’s alleged timeline places Ferguson and Combs’ first meeting within the same social world that connected Ferguson to Epstein, through Maxwell’s party circuit. While Ferguson denies the affair and Combs’ team has not confirmed any of the allegations, the connections between these figures continue to stack up, raising questions that remain unresolved. Meanwhile, Combs remains in federal custody. His earliest possible release date, after entering a prison drug rehab program, is now April 25, 2028.
In April 2026, a federal appeals court questioned whether his four-year sentence was too long or too short. Combs has reportedly told other inmates he expects a pardon from President Donald Trump, and Trump confirmed that Combs’ team reached out to request one.