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Sarah Ferguson’s close associate and business partner, Manuel Fernandez, reportedly leveraged his connections to the Royal Palace to intimidate a former employee, according to audio recordings obtained by the BBC. The individual, who worked on Fernandez’s now-defunct lifestyle app vVoosh, was allegedly threatened with jail time due to accusations of compromising “royal security” by hacking company emails.
Ferguson, who acted as an investor and ambassador for vVoosh, was used by Fernandez to bolster credibility with both investors and staff members, the former employee claimed. However, Fernandez has denied the allegations regarding his behavior and the financial status of the business, while Ferguson’s representatives declined to comment. From 2015 to 2017, Ferguson was frequently seen alongside Fernandez, an Essex-born businessman and former soldier; she has categorically denied any romantic involvement, describing their relationship as strictly professional.
vVoosh was a tech start-up operating out of London’s Shoreditch district, aiming to create a social networking platform akin to Facebook. Despite securing over £9 million in funding—including approximately £1 million in government tax credits—the company never launched its product and ultimately folded last year. Company documents reveal that Ferguson owned about 1% of vVoosh shares and loaned the firm around £50,000.
A former senior contractor at vVoosh, identified only as “Alex,” worked there for about six years. In June 2017, Alex was summoned to meet Fernandez following a WhatsApp message indicating an urgent meeting at “B Palace” concerning VIP shareholders linked to the company. Concerned about unpaid invoices and the company’s precarious finances, Alex recorded the meeting. During this encounter, Fernandez and a security adviser named Mark Harry threatened Alex with prison over alleged email hacking, implying the hacked communications belonged to Ferguson. Alex denied any hacking and explained that an inactive company email account for Ferguson forwarded messages to a shared inbox. The threats detailed in the recording suggested potential jail sentences for others involved as well, heightening the tension.
Further complicating matters, Alex described instances of intimidation during the meeting, including the confiscation of his personal phone. Subsequent to this, Alex reported the incident to the police; though the Metropolitan Police did not pursue charges, he was later arrested and questioned on suspicion of email hacking, but again no charges were filed. Alex believes Fernandez followed through with his threats by involving law enforcement. Throughout this period, vVoosh continued to send him legal notices alleging data theft and criticizing his work, claims which Alex denies and which ultimately
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