Everyone knows the Queen never carries cash. And nor, it seems, do other members of the aristocracy. According to a report by the Press Association, London firm Davenport Lyons has apparently issued proceedings against the Duchess of York, claiming that Sarah Ferguson has failed to stump up the readies for work the firm did in relation to the adaptation of her children’s books for an animated series. Fergie is understood to be contesting the bill, which is thought to be in the region of £100,000. The Duchess had hoped to bring characters from her books Tea for Ruby and Little Red, which are highly popular across the pond (we all know how our American friends adore anything involving the royal family, ex or not), to the screen with film company Handmade, makers of comedy classics Withnail And I and Monty Python’s The Life of Brian. But the Duchess’s plan to make royalties from her royalty hit a bump when the company asked for its shares to be suspended in January, casting doubt on the deal. The report claims that Ferguson is not believed to have received formal notification of the legal proceedings, and says both she and Davenport Lyons declined to comment.