Prince Andrew flies home to deal with bribe scandal

Prince Andrew has flown home from his duties as British trade envoy in the wake of the scandal enveloping his ex-wife.

The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, was busted by an undercover reporter from the tabloid the News of the World accepting money in return for a promise to open doors to her former husband.

Newstalk ZB's UK correspondent Malcolm Stuart says the Duchess still lives in Prince Andrew's house and he now has to decide whether to evict her, or keep her close by. He believes the Queen will stipulate that Ferguson will have to go.

"On the other hand, of course, Andrew knows that if she does move out, she will be a total loose cannon. He has no idea where she will go or who will pay for her accommodation."

The British media are also asking whether the prince is really so innocent.

UK correspondent Laurie Margolis says there has been some raising of the eyebrows over Prince Andrew's categorical denials that he knew anything.

"He lives with his (ex) wife, they're very close, she keeps describing him as her best friend and they had the friendliest divorce ever. Andrew must know that she's in financial trouble, or as she put it, in some financial stress."

Mr Margolis says two royal writers have said the Royals brought the scandal on themselves, by cutting off the Duchess financially after the couple's divorce.

"They cut her off without a home and with virtually no money at all. It's unbelievable, but when she split up from Andrew, all she got was about NZ$30,000 a year."

In contrast to that, Princess Diana got £20 million pounds when she split from Prince Charles.

Mr Margolis says tabloid papers have been watching Sarah Ferguson for a very long time and she does drop bloopers, but he says there is a certain amount of sympathy for her.

Despite her embarrassment over the scandal, Ferguson fronted on Sunday at a charity event in Los Angeles where she waved as she collected an award from Variety International for her work with underprivileged children.

She works with several charities, and has been admired for confronting her own money troubles.

American Idol judge Simon Cowell, who also received an award at the dinner, admitted to the BBC that Ferguson "looked a bit stressed" at the event.

After the scandal broke, she issued a statement apologising and admitting that she is experiencing difficulty again.

"It is true that my financial situation is under stress," the statement said.

"However, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened."

Recently the company set up to manage her US career in publishing, public speaking and media work, Hartmoor LLC, collapsed with debts of around $1 million. And according to reports in Britain, Ferguson is facing legal action over unpaid bills.

Former Daily Mirror royal reporter James Whitaker said Ferguson had worked to pay off a multimillion pound debt "by hard work and determination".

She wrote books, produced films, and worked as a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

"But eventually these sources of income dried up, leaving her with far too little money," Whitaker wrote in the Guardian.

"People assumed she was still a big earner but they were wrong."

Christopher Wilson, a royal commentator who co-wrote Fergie - Her Secret Life, said Ferguson has had a "roller coaster of a life, where she's had huge successes and these pratfalls".

"She's a fighter," he said.

"At the moment it looks like she really is reaching the end of the road, but it wouldn't surprise me to see her bounce back."

- NEWSTALK ZB, AP, NZ HERALD STAFF