Sarah Ferguson is reportedly returning to the UK, ending her seven-month exile abroad, with her comeback timed to coincide with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's highly anticipated return to the country.
The former Duchess of York, 66, has been out of the UK since the Epstein scandal involving her ex-husband, former Duke of York Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. She was last publicly spotted in April in the Austrian Alps and has now reportedly taken residence at a gated property in the Home Counties, where she is renting a £10,000-a-year, six-bedroom house as she plans her next move.
Return timed to use Harry and Meghan as smokescreen
The Sun reports that Ferguson's comeback was deliberately timed to use the attention on Harry and Meghan's return as a smokescreen. A source told the publication: “She’s had her eyes on a return for some time but it takes time to find the right new house. She hasn’t had to worry about accommodation for 20 years as she had Royal Lodge with Andrew. Now’s the right time to get back to her life. With everyone looking out for Harry and Meghan she thought she could slip back under the radar after seven months away.”
Ferguson and Mountbatten-Windsor were evicted from Royal Lodge, their former longtime home in the Home Counties, in February. The couple, who divorced in 1996, lived together for around 20 years at the 30-room mansion, with Andrew moving in in 2004 and Ferguson a year or two later.
Move imminent after belongings collected
Removal vans reportedly picked up some of Ferguson's belongings at Andrew's Sandringham home this week, with the ex-Duchess set to move in "imminently," possibly by Monday. She will return to a larger immediate family, as her youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed their new daughter Adelaide earlier this month. Ferguson's daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, are both said to have kept in close contact with her during her time abroad.
It is not known whether Ferguson has had contact with Andrew, who was arrested on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released under investigation. The Thames Valley Police investigation into the former Prince was prompted by a massive document release from the US Department of Justice, which released 3.5 million pages of documents relating to its investigation into paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Background of the controversy
Andrew had served as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011, and allegedly shared confidential trade reports with Epstein, his former friend. He has denied any personal gain from his role as a trade envoy and strenuously denied any wrongdoing stemming from his relationship with the disgraced financier. The controversy preceded his and Ferguson's expulsion from Royal Lodge, and he took up residence at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate as his ex-wife left for Europe.
