A lifestyle app backed by Sarah Ferguson received more than £1million of taxpayers’ money, but never launched a product, new documents have revealed.
Lifestyle app vVoosh was founded by Manuel Fernandes, a close friend of Ms Ferguson, and promised to give users “the power to Find, Plan, Share, Live, and Remember all the things you love to do – and those you’re yet to try”.
The former royal once described herself as an “ambassador” for the company and was an investor.
The company was put into administration last month and it is not the first company to have failed in recent months with links to the former Duchess of York.
Sarah Ferguson has suffered her latest blow as a company she backed has gone into administration
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In November, it emerged that a cryptocurrency mining firm had agreed to pay Ms Ferguson up to £1.4m for acting as a “brand ambassador,” but that firm also failed, allegedly costing investors millions.
The company’s co-founder denied misconduct and said he’s working to repay backers.
In September, Ms Ferguson was dropped as a patron or ambassador for a number of charities after an email emerged that she had called convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein her “supreme friend” in a 2011 email and appeared to apologise for the public scrutiny he was under.
vVoosh was founded in 2010, and over the years, the company raised approximately £9m, including more than £1m from the UK government through research and development tax credits, according to documents filed by the administrator.
It paid teams in the UK and India to work on the app, but never launched and so was unable to fund further development.
Progress on the app was halted when the Indian contractor threatened legal action.
vVoosh going into administration is yet another blow for the former royal, after it was revealed that her latest book had been withdrawn from the market, with insiders revealing that 10,000 copies of the unpublished novel were to be “pulped.”
Sarah Ferguson has had her latest book “withdrawn from sale” after recent controversy
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The source told the Mail: “It’s not been delayed, it’s being pulped.
“It’s an acknowledgement of the inevitable. No one is going to want to buy it.”
One local bookshop that had planned a meet and greet with Fergie has now been forced to refund tickets to the public.
They told the publication: “It’s a mess. The book is unsalvageable.”
Friends of the 66-year-old have also claimed that she is planning to relocate to Portugal in January, with her accommodation being arranged by her daughter, Princess Eugenie.
Sources indicate a guest suite is currently being readied for Fergie’s arrival at the oceanfront residence in Melides, located 82 miles south of Lisbon.
A wealthy resident of the gated community told the Express: “The word here is that Fergie will be arriving sometime in January.
Sarah Ferguson looks set to leave the UK and head to Princess Eugenie’s seafront residence
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“How long she’ll stay is anyone’s guess, but if it’s a long-term move, I can guarantee she’ll fit well into the social scene.
“Scores of celebrities and Hollywood stars have been snapping up properties in the area.”
GB News has reached out to Ms Ferguson’s representatives for comment.