Sarah Ferguson: Drunk and Taking Bribes

Sarah Ferguson, a.k.a. Fergie, a.k.a. Britain's Duchess of York, says she was drinking and "not in my right place" when she was caught in a sting operation.

The set-up? Ferg was caught on video offering access to her former husband, Prince Andrew, for $724,000. She told Oprah Winfrey she was "in the gutter."

"I'm aware of the fact that I've been drinking, you know. I was not in my right place," Sarah Ferguson said in an interview set to air on Oprah on Tuesday.

Ferguson said she had seen the video while traveling through airports recently but had not sat down to watch closely: "I haven't faced the devil in the face."

According to transcripts of the show, the Duchess says "I was in the gutter at that moment." We're inclined to believe it, given the accusations in this case.

TROUBLED DUCHESS: Sarah Ferguson has some explaining to do.

Tape of the sting was posted by London's News of the World, which set up the meeting. Ferguson asks for $40,000 cash and 500,000 pounds ($718,500).

In exchange for that wire transfer, she agrees to introduce the paper's undercover reporter to the prince - reportedly under the guise of a business meeting.

"I can open any door you want," Ferguson reportedly said in the video.

The newspaper's big sting operation has caused a major embarrassment for the 50-year-old Sarah Ferguson, who has a pair of daughters with Prince Andrew.

Andrew is the second son of Queen Elizabeth and fourth in line to the throne. The prince is also known as the Duke of York. The couple divorced in 1996.

He acts as Britain's special representative for international trade and investment, so surely this can't be going over well across the pond. More to come.

Posted in: Celebrity Scandals,Sarah Ferguson