Fergie preaches 'forgiveness' at Book Expo America

Disgraced royal Sarah Ferguson has asked for forgiveness during a speech at Book Expo America.

The Duchess of York looked like she was feeling the pressure of the recent cash-for-access scandal as she nervously took to the stage to promote her new range of children's books - which claim to offer young people a 'helping hand' in life.

She commented, wryly, that perhaps she should have taken a leaf out of her own book and suggested that doing so could have helped her avoid the recent sting - which saw a News of the World journalist posing as a businessman and offering the royal GBP 500,000 for access to her ex-husband Prince Andrew.

During her address, the Duchess said: 'Today we have learned passion and forgiveness. We have learned that real life is too extreme for fiction. I second that big-time.'

Ferguson accepted a GBP 27,000 down-payment from the newspaper during the undercover operation, promising the journalist: 'Look after me and [Prince Andrew will] look after you.'