Sarah Ferguson is setting up camp in the UK again, and royal insiders say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave her the confidence to make the "shameless" comeback. The 67-year-old recently made a shock return to British soil, stepping out for a memorial service in London.
According to an insider's claims to the Daily Mail, Ferguson "has been angling for a public return to these shores for a while." They said: "It was Harry and Meghan's seeming 'reconciliation' with the family in the summer which, while not as warm and fuzzy as might be perceived, finally persuaded Sarah to return."
Low Profile and Absence
However, she kept a remarkably low profile and was notably absent from the funeral of her "father figure" and ex-boyfriend Paddy McNally in August, sending her eldest daughter Princess Beatrice to attend the private service in her place.
But on October 29—almost exactly a year to the day since King Charles took action and she was reduced to the rank of commoner—Sarah made the bold decision to attend McNally's memorial at St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge.
Public Backlash
The timing of Ferguson's comeback is being viewed as yet another potential sign that the pressure on the embattled ex-Yorks is finally easing and attitudes may even be softening behind palace doors. But her shock reappearance has gone down like a lead balloon with the British public.
Critics were quick to brand the former royal "shameless" while drawing furious parallels to the Sussexes. Taking to X, one outraged fan said: "The poor royal family can't escape the trash. First the Harkles. Now this."
Another fumed over the parallel with the Sussexes, snapping: "Sheesh. One s****** scuttles off out of the country and another scuttles back in. Meghan & Fergie really should be blasted into outer space." A third blasted: "Oh yay another greedy grubby undignified wanna be royal," while a fourth simply added: "You know what I have to laugh because she just has no shame."
Next Chapter
Ferguson is said to be quietly plotting her next chapter on British soil. After retreating to the Austrian Alps to hide from the catastrophic fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, she is now believed to be setting up camp in a rented property in the Home Counties to be closer to Beatrice and Eugenie.
She is also said to be maintaining a united front with her disgraced ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Following the monarch's brutal axe to their titles and honours over the Epstein controversy, 66-year-old Andrew is currently living in total seclusion on the King's Sandringham estate. Yet, a spokesperson for Ferguson recently confirmed they are still very much in touch, stating: "They have an ongoing cordial and supportive relationship as co-parents and co-grandparents."
