Sarah Ferguson seems to be sending a subtle message with her style.
As excerpts from the upcoming book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie continue to make headlines about Fergie and her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, the Duchess of York carried out a public appearance on July 30 in London in which she signed copies of her novel, Her Heart for a Compass.
On Aug. 5, she shared photos from the engagement on her Instagram page, writing, “Her Heart for a Compass was always meant to be a bridge between hearts, stories and generations. Being able to sign copies and speak with these incredible creators brought me right back to why I wrote it in the first place.”
The Amazon Influencer Program also shared a video on July 31 of the “afternoon tea” with the Duchess of York, 65, saying she “welcomed our Creators to Britain and gifted her best-selling novel.”
For the event, Fergie sported custom loafers bearing the royal family’s unofficial motto: “Never complain, never explain.”
The shoes, which have “Never Complain” on one foot and “Never Explain” on the other, have been in her collection for years, and she previously wore them for a 2022 night out in London.
The late Queen Elizabeth often employed the stoic approach, especially when it came to the press.
Royal biographer Penny Junor previously told PEOPLE, “There has been a long tradition in the British royal family of riding criticism out and keeping your head down and taking the long view. Crises come and go, and people get criticized — often for five minutes by the media, who then move on.”
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Sarah Ferguson on July 30, 2025.
TOPSTAR / BACKGRID
The shoe choice came as Fergie and Prince Andrew, 65, are back in the spotlight due to Lownie’s book, which will be released on Aug. 14. Excerpts from the joint biography of the former couple have highlighted the Duchess of York’s crush on John F. Kennedy Jr. and other celebrities as well as reported physical altercation between Prince Andrew and his nephew Prince Harry. (The Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson denied the allegations.)
The Daily Mail’s latest excerpt on Aug. 6 detailed how Prince Andrew allegedly slept with “more than a dozen women” during the first year of his marriage to Fergie, spending most of his time away from home as a naval officer.
Fergie also had extramarital affairs, including with American Steve Wyatt and his friend John Bryan, according to the book.
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew on April 20, 2025.
Samir Hussein/WireImage
“Friends say Andrew accepted his wife’s infidelities and that his marriage was over,” the book says, according to the Daily Mail. “He would dine alone off a tray in his study while Sarah and one of her lovers ate together elsewhere in the house.”
“Sarah, however, was jealous of any of Andrew’s girlfriends,” it continued. “She wanted to remain ‘The One,’ with all the perks that brought, and girlfriends were invariably despatched through a mixture of charm and ruthlessness.”
The Duke and Duchess of York divorced in 1996, but they continue to live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
According to the excerpt, “The key is that, as a friend of the couple said of their fluctuating relationship: ‘You have to understand that Andrew still loves Sarah.”
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on Aug. 3, 2025.
TheImageDirect.com
The pair were photographed for the first time since the biography’s claims were made on Aug. 3, driving together near their longtime home.