BY THE BOOK

Duchess of York Wrote Romance Novel to Escape Prince Andrew Stress

The prince’s ex-wife was asked about the public scrutiny she came under after sexual assault allegations were made against Andrew.

Sarah, Duchess of York, says she relieved the stress of sexual assault allegations against Prince Andrew by writing a historical romance novel. Speaking at the Henley Literary Festival in England on Wednesday about her forthcoming book A Most Intriguing Lady, the duchess was asked if she responded to the intense public scrutiny by throwing herself into her work. “I escape in life into everything through my imagination and through my will to be joyous,” the duchess, 62, said. The duchess lives with Prince Andrew despite the couple getting divorced in 1996. Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew was dropped after a multimillion-dollar settlement in March. The duchess added that she did not resent the acute media coverage of the case. “I think the media are vitally important for many different reasons,” she said. “Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong. And I think we just keep going and never explain too much or say too much.”