Royal author Andrew Lownie has defended his claims that Sarah Ferguson once maintained a sexual relationship with the disgraced rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Lownie, whose 2025 book Entitled explored the lives of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Ferguson, published these new allegations on Saturday (May 9).

According to an extract from the updated paperback edition of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York—set for release on May 21—Combs allegedly bragged about his sex life with the Duchess of York, claiming they would meet at luxury hotels, including one costing over £50,000 per night. In an extract published by the Daily Mail, Lownie cited a former employee at Bad Boy Records who alleged that the rapper was obsessed with the royal family and boasted about his encounters with Ferguson. The source further alleged that Combs once remarked he “could not wait until Fergie’s daughters come of age.”

Last year, Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison following his conviction on federal prostitution-related charges. The book also references an associate of the singer who claimed that Ferguson first met Combs at a 2002 party hosted by Ghislaine Maxwell, and that a secret “friends with benefits” relationship began in 2004 and persisted for several years.

Maxwell, a longtime friend of Ferguson and the former partner of Jeffrey Epstein, was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021 for her role in procuring underage girls for Epstein.

In response to these claims, a source close to Ferguson dismissed the allegations, telling The Sunday Times: “This is absolute fabricated nonsense, blatantly untrue, and yet another false allegation from him.”

Lownie, however, remains steadfast. He told the publication that his evidence is derived from multiple sources and that he has no doubts regarding their veracity. “I stand by it, it’s fully sourced with former employees of P Diddy and Sarah Ferguson,” Lownie stated, further noting that Ferguson had previously been caught in inconsistencies regarding her contact with Epstein in 2011.

The controversy follows the surfacing of an email last September in which Ferguson referred to Epstein—who was arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking—as her “supreme friend.” In the correspondence, she apologized for publicly criticizing him, despite having previously stated she would sever all ties with him. The revelation led to several charities dropping her as a patron and ambassador.

The paperback edition of Entitled also claims that a 2006 men’s perfume released by Combs, titled “Unforgivable,” was inspired by Ferguson and her preferences in men’s fragrances. Furthermore, Lownie alleges that Ferguson introduced her daughters to Combs on multiple occasions, including a 2006 yacht party weekend when Princess Eugenie was 16. A royal staff member reportedly told the author: “Sean’s parties were wild. The fact that she brought Eugenie around was alarming.”

For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.