Sarah Ferguson passed just two O-levels at elite boarding school

07 January 2024 , 23:02

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Sarah Ferguson's results card has been found at her old school (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The Duchess of York passed just two O-levels despite attending an elite boarding school.

Sarah Ferguson’s exam results have been found on a slip in a dusty old cabinet at her posh school. The 64-year-old was reported to have gained six O-levels at the school, where fees were about £3,000 a year – the equivalent of £21,000 a year today. But the newly uncovered document shows that the would-be Duchess gained an A in spoken English and a C in art.

She got Ds in English language, English literature and biology, which then counted as a fail. She also failed French and geography. Sarah went on to write the Budgie the Little Helicopter series of children’s books and topped the Sunday Times bestseller list with two Mills & Boon romance novels, Her Heart for a Compass and A Most Intriguing Lady.

The slip was found during a renovation of Hurst Lodge School (Alamy Stock Photo)

A source close to the Duchess, who is in talks with streaming giants over adaptations of her novels, told The Mail on Sunday: “Academic qualifications are not the be-all. The Duchess has always been very open about her lack of a formal education.

“Indeed, she is proud of the fact she started out scrubbing toilets for a living and has ended up as a Sunday Times bestselling author.”

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The results were found during a renovation of Hurst Lodge School in Ascot, Berks. The Duchess left school at 16 and took a course in shorthand, typing and book-keeping at Queen’s Secretarial College in London, before marrying Prince Andrew in 1986.

Dan Warburton