THE Duchess of York has picked up an award for her charity work amid a furore over a newspaper sting.
Video footage showed her allegedly accepting cash for an introduction to ex-husband Prince Andrew.
Sarah Ferguson, who flew to Los Angeles to pick up a gong for her work with underprivileged children, has apologised for her “serious lapse in judgment”, admitting her finances were “under stress”.
The Duchess of York ducked through a side entrance to the star-studded awards ceremony, organised by children’s charity Variety.
The footage had shown her allegedly promising to introduce an undercover reporter posing as a wealthy businessman to the Prince – in exchange for £500,000.
The Duchess of York said her financial situation was “no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment”.
She added: “I can confirm that The Duke of York was not aware or involved in any of the discussions that occurred.”
In a video she is shown allegedly telling the reporter: “£500,000 when you can, to me, open doors.”
Asked if she was referring to the Prince Andrew, she said “Yeah”, then shook hands with the reporter before apparently accepting a £27,600 cash down-payment.
She was filmed allegedly telling him how to transfer £500,000 to her bank account.
In one scene, the Duchess of York is shown sitting in front of a table with a large amount of cash laid out on it.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew “categorically” denied having any knowledge of the meeting between his ex-wife and the undercover reporter.