It also emerged that she was being pursued by several creditors in this country too. It has been a difficult few weeks for Prince Andrew's ex-wife, who has seen the collapse of her American 'lifestyle and wellness' company, Hartmoor, with debts of more £630,000. The thought of seeing Fergie's characters emblazoned on everything from pencil cases to children's' clothing is sure to worry some courtiers, who have already expressed concern that the Queen's former daughter-in-law is blatantly cashing in on her royal connections.īut many privately admit that it is preferable to bankruptcy. 'Although she gets a really raw deal in Britain, she is huge in America - her books, in particular, sell very well over there, and this deal will capitalise on that.' 'We are planning to exploit the merchandising possibilities very heavily, which is something that Sarah hasn't had the opportunity to do before. Thomas the Tank Engine, for example, is worth many hundreds of millions of pounds.
HandMade Films hopes that the first cartoons featuring her characters will be ready in around nine months time and several leading US television networks have already expressed a keen interest.ĬEO David Ravden said: 'The potential in these characters is immeasurable. Sell-off: Fergie's children's books, Tea for Ruby and Little Red are both hugely popular in the U.S and will now be turned into cartoons 'It's a good deal for her, he said,' actually it's an incredible deal for her. He also said she had negotiated a 'substantial ' share of future profits, believed to be around 35 per cent, which stood to deliver 'really considerable' future payouts. Today it announced it had bought up one of America's top animation companies, Animated Collective, as part of a £17 million deal - and that the Duchess's characters would be the jewel in the crown of its new children's division, known as HandMade Kids.Ĭhairman Patrick Meehan, the former manager of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath who bought HandMade following George Harrison's death, revealed that she will be paid a 'significant' amount of money up front, although he refused to discuss exact figures citing commercial confidentiality. They have been bought by HandMade Films, which was started by former Beatle George Harrison in 1972 and has since grown to become the leading independent film producer in Britain. She has also sold the rights to Little Red, another series about a flame-haired young girl and her friends which is loosely based on herself. Proud author: Sarah Ferguson poses for the photographers with her new book Little Red in New York in October 2003
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