Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson are preparing to reunite in permanent exile from Britain, settling in Dubai for a life of luxury, according to royal biographer Nigel Cawthorne. The former Duke and Duchess of York will "sooner or later" execute a simple exit strategy to live abroad together, escaping the Epstein scandal that has devastated their lives, Cawthorne told the Sunday Express in an exclusive interview.
Few Options Left
Cawthorne, who has maintained contact with the couple's dwindling circle of close confidantes since publishing his best-selling book Prince Andrew: Epstein, Maxwell and the Palace in 2020, said: "They have few, if any, other options left. At this stage, it's the two of them against the world." He cautioned that he "would not even put it past Andrew to simply flee the country if he gets the opportunity," despite the former prince being under police investigation over allegations of misconduct in public office.
Current Hardships
The royal author described Andrew as "utterly miserable" at his new home, Marsh Farm on King Charles's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, while Ferguson is "commercially speaking, a busted flush and going broke." Since being evicted by King Charles in February from the 31-room Royal Lodge in Windsor—where they famously co-habited despite divorcing in 1996—Andrew has been arrested and questioned by police for 12 hours, and was stalked by a balaclava-wearing intruder. Ferguson has failed in her attempts to earn millions by selling her memoirs to American publishers, some of whom did not even reply.
Safety Concerns
Top US private investigator Ed Opperman, who is probing the deaths of 23 people linked to late child sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, has warned that both Andrew and Ferguson could now be targeted by killers, as the Sunday Express exclusively revealed earlier this month. Cawthorne noted: "The fact that neither of them are covered any longer by the high-level security afforded to members of the Royal Family is another reason they have concluded they may no longer be safe in Britain." He believes they will "sooner or later kick-start their exit strategy and get out of this country while they still can."
Relationship Endures
Asked if Andrew would take Ferguson with him, Cawthorne said: "I have no doubt about that. He's always seemed happy to be her meal ticket—and he's the one who elevated her from the commoner status they now share. Their relationship has always been quite extraordinary before, during and long after their actual marriage. They've only been physically apart a little over four months—since being kicked out of Royal Lodge—and I don't think Andrew would leave her behind at this stage of their lives."
Dubai as Destination
Cawthorne believes the ex-duke and duchess will "almost certainly" aim to "live out the rest of their lives" in the United Arab Emirates, specifically Dubai, which he describes as "one of Andrew's favourite stomping grounds" during his tenure as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment from 2001 to 2011. In Dubai, Andrew established close ties with controversial father-and-son British investment tycoons David and Jonathan Rowland, as well as the Emirati government and royal family. Cawthorne concluded: "It would make tremendous sense for Andrew and Fergie to live out the rest of their days there, not only with the kind of security they could never be able to afford themselves but also in the style to which they were once both accustomed."
