Sarah Ferguson’s forthcoming children’s book, already subject to delays, has been withdrawn from sale, according to data analysis firm Nielsen.
Flora And Fern: Kindness Along The Way was initially slated for publication on October 9, as indicated in a press release by Bookseller.
While Amazon listed the title with an availability date of November 20 as of last week, it is now absent from the online retailer’s listings.
NielsenIQ BookData confirmed to the BBC that the title’s status had been updated to “withdrawn from sale” at the publisher’s request. Representatives for Ms. Ferguson have declined to comment.
New Frontier Publishing, the book’s publisher, has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Ms. Ferguson, 66, relinquished her title as duchess following her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s decision to step back from his role as Duke of York amid scrutiny over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Subsequently, Andrew also lost his title as prince.
Last month, Waterstones bookstores informed BBC News that the publication date for Flora And Fern: Kindness Along The Way had been “moved” and that they had not been provided with a revised date.
A Waterstones spokesperson stated that they have received no further communication from the publisher since that time.
The reasons behind the book’s withdrawal from sale remain undisclosed.
However, an industry source suggested to BBC News that the decision “makes total sense commercially.”
“One has to assume it’s related to the current controversies,” noted Neill Denny of the book trade news website Book Brunch.
“It is simply not the opportune moment to release a book by Sarah Ferguson.”
Mr. Denny posited that the publisher may opt to delay the release for six months to a year, anticipating a more favorable climate.
“It is not the type of book that will suffer from aging, and the financial risk associated with postponement is minimal,” he added.
Ms. Ferguson’s other publishers have remained reserved when questioned about their intentions to maintain ties with her.
Harper Collins, which has published two of her titles, including the 2023 release A Most Intriguing Lady, previously declined to comment but noted that both books remain in print and available.
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor and Ms. Ferguson are reportedly preparing to vacate Royal Lodge, his Windsor estate.
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to relocate to the King’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Ms. Ferguson’s future residence remains undetermined.
On Friday, the Daily Mail reported that she is preparing to move in with her daughter Princess Eugenie in her Portugal home, although there has been no official confirmation of this. Ms. Ferguson’s representatives declined to comment on these reports.
Ms. Ferguson has also been embroiled in a separate controversy concerning her own association with Epstein.
In September, several charities terminated her roles as patron or ambassador following the emergence of a 2011 email in which she referred to Epstein as her “supreme friend” and appeared to apologize for her prior public criticisms of him.
Beyond her philanthropic endeavors, Ms. Ferguson is involved in various business ventures and has authored several children’s books, non-fiction works about Queen Victoria, and her own memoirs.
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