Fergie poses with Kevin Spacey at elite Italian gala amid scandal over new book about marriage to Prince Andrew
The Duchess of York, 65, recently attended an 'exclusive evening' as part of Andrea Bocelli and his wife Veronica's Notti Toscane charity dinner.
In one photo that is readily available for publication via photo agencies, Fergie eagerly poses with Spacey.
Spacey, a two-time Oscar winner, infamously fell from grace in Hollywood in 2017 after he was faced with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by more than a dozen men.
All charges against the 66-year-old actor for sexual misconduct were ultimately dropped or not made due to reasons such as death, refusal to testify, and statute of limitation.
It is understood the glitzy event was held on July 28 but photos from the gala have, somewhat mysteriously, largely gone unreported in the British media.
Ferguson also declined to post any evidence of her appearance at the gala to her social media account, where she often shares updates about her extensive charity work.
The timing of the photo with Spacey coincides with renewed public scrutiny of both the Duke and Duchess of York following the publication of a new book by royal author Andrew Lownie.
The bombshell book includes embarrassing revelations about the Duke of York's sex life, links to Jeffrey Epstein as well as unprecedented new information about his business dealings while working as a British trade envoy.
Meanwhile, Fergie is painted as not only financially reckless, but so dangerous to the monarchy that the royal family keep her in the fold to protect themselves.
Ferguson notoriously accrued millions of dollars of debt while maintaining her royal lifestyle following her split from Prince Andrew in 1996.
Ironically, one of the main themes of Lownie's book was Fergie's poor judge of character.
Lownie reminds readers that it was Epstein who once stepped in and paid off some of Fergie's debts, which the Duchess later called a 'gigantic error of judgement'.
It is understood that Epstein paid £15,000 ($30,000 AUD) toward a £78,000 debt Fergie owed to her onetime personal assistant, Johnny O'Sullivan.
The damage to Ferguson's reputation arguably cost far more than the relatively modest gift, which barely made a dent in her debts that reportedly once topped $7 million.
Despite divorcing in 1996, the Yorks continue to live together in the palatial Royal Lodge and Fergie has continued to publicly support her ex-husband after his fall from grace.
Andrew Lownie's book 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York' will be published by HarperCollins on 14 August 2025.
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