PRINCE Andrew’s ex-wife has been announced as a guest presenter of a popular morning magazine programme.
Sarah, Duchess of York – sometimes known as Fergie – will present This Morning on Monday alongside regular hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
The show has been rocked by scandal in recent months after it was revealed former presenter Phillip Schofield had embarked on an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a much younger man who was employed by the ITV programme.
Sarah Ferguson – the mother of Prince Andrew’s two daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie before their divorce in 1996 – will guest edit Monday’s programme.
Prince Andrew (below) found himself embroiled in scandal over his friendship with the late paedophile billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein and after he was accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre when she was 17.
He has repeatedly denied the allegations and in 2022 settled a civil case Giuffre brought against him.
She will be involved in setting the programme’s agenda for that day and has said she will centre topics close to her heart, including the importance of defibrillators, the best way to rehome a dog and how to protect your skin.
There will also be an interview with Cliff Richard, who recently released orchestral album Cliff With Strings – My Kinda Life, celebrating his 65th year in the music industry.
Ferguson said: “I have appeared on This Morning before, but this time I am coming back in a very different role.
“I love live TV and am an enormous fan of the show, and the whole team is always lovely to deal with.
“I’m looking forward to being there for the whole morning, and thrilled to be guest editing the show which will mean getting to explore some topics that I’m passionate about.”
This Morning’s editor Martin Frizell added: “We are all delighted Sarah, Duchess of York wanted to come back here and I’m very happy for her to make some of my decisions on Monday.
“She has a great understanding of the show and how television works and I feel viewers will be really interested in the running order she is putting together.”
Schofield’s (above) explosive departure from the programme saw the break-up of his longstanding double act with former presenter Holly Willoughby earlier this year.
ITV said it was “not provided with, and did not find, any evidence of a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour” when it looked into Schofield’s affair in 2020, and chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said there will be an external review.
The daytime programme has faced increased scrutiny as employees past and present raised “claims of toxic working cultures, bullying, discrimination and harassment” with MPs.
McCall told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in August: “We are absolutely committed to enabling people to raise any issues or complaints they may have about working at ITV.”
The broadcaster updated its policy on work relationships in October.
