Duchess of York's pride

May 27, 2010, 12:02 GMT

Britain's Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, spoke of her "pride" at fighting back to save her reputation yesterday (26.05.10).

The duchess - who is currently embroiled in a royal scandal after trying to sell access to her ex-husband Prince Andrew to a journalist for £500,000 - claimed she would do all that she could to save her reputation at a breakfast for booksellers and librarians in Manhattan.

She told the crowd: "I think it is a real treat for me to be here today and I can't thank you enough for listening. At the end of the day, you know what, I am a foghorn for silent whispers, I am a children's book author, I am Sarah Ferguson, I am a mum and I am so very proud of that."

The 50-year-old royal also joked that she hadn't found it easy to get to the event at the city's Jacob Javits Convention Center.

She said: "I am delighted to be standing here, it was quite difficult for me to get to the Javits Center this morning, one or two people in the way, but then you might have read that.

"Actually when I knew I was coming here to talk to you about my books I suddenly realised that maybe I should take a leaf out of one of my own books. My books are the 'Helping Hands' books, there is a set of four. And one of the books is 'Ashley Learns About Strangers', or 'Matthew And The Bullies'."

In a statement, Sarah previously admitted she had made a "serious lapse of judgement" when dealing with the undercover reporter.

She said: "I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused. It is true that my financial situation is under stress. However, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgement and I am very sorry that this has happened."