Sarah Ferguson Seeks Solace in Remote Irish Wellness Retreat
Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, has been residing at a secluded Irish wellness retreat as she attempts to stay out of the public eye amidst the ongoing fallout from her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. The 66-year-old fled the United Kingdom as both she and her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, became increasingly entangled in the growing scandal, which culminated in his arrest last week.
Disappearance from Public View
While Prince Andrew was photographed multiple times in Windsor and on the Sandringham estate prior to his police visit, Ferguson has not been seen publicly since her brief appearance at her granddaughter Athena's christening at St James's Palace on December 12. This absence has sparked global speculation about her whereabouts, with the Daily Mail revealing last week that she spent much of her time sheltering at a renowned Swiss clinic.
It is further believed that she sought refuge in the United Arab Emirates, where she maintains close contacts and potential benefactors. Now, it has emerged that she also visited a second similar retreat, the Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa in Donegal, where she was spotted at the local airport earlier this month.
Previous Visits to Donegal
This is not Ferguson's first visit to the spa; during a 2024 trip, she posted a TikTok video filmed on a nearby beach, stating, 'I find things get sometimes overwhelming, I just try and take myself off to the most beautiful, wonderful blast of fresh air.' A royal source commented, 'Last time Sarah visited Donegal she spoke about how it was somewhere she could escape to when things were 'overwhelming' - and they can't ever have been more overwhelming for her than they have been in recent weeks.'
The source added, 'And just as she did with the Zurich trip, she knew what she was going to in Donegal as she'd been there before and that it was very remote and very discrete so there was minimal chance of her presence becoming known to the wider world. She seems to be very keen indeed to avoid being seen while she works out what to do next.'
Connection to Ireland
In a late 2024 video, her second visit to Donegal within six months, Ferguson candidly addressed her followers while walking on a stunning beach. She said, 'Hello everybody! I'm here in Donegal….Looking at the ocean, looking at the beach, looking at the shells. It's great to be in the wind and just getting fresh air on my face.' Her caption read, 'The benefits of getting some fresh air everyday really can do wonders for you. Thank you Donegal!'
The 40-bedroom hotel and lodge, recently reopened after a £1.5 million refit, is located just off the famously scenic Wild Atlantic Way along Ireland's remote west coast. Ferguson has ancestral roots in Ireland, and the country has frequently served as her refuge during difficult times for over two decades.
Following her divorce, in a 2005 interview, she remarked, 'Ireland gave me back my life' and expressed a desire to be buried at Powerscourt House, her family's historic estate in Wicklow. She elaborated, 'The Irish people gave me back my life and I feel very strongly that I went back to the core values. I think that is why I feel so comfortable in Ireland because the Irish people accept Sarah as Sarah instead of trying to make her into anything else.'
In 2006, she again evoked the idea of being 'saved' by Ireland, recalling, 'I was just separated and I had the two girls with me and I was feeling very insecure and really lost,' about her time there as a refuge. Her frequent visits to the west coast led locals to jokingly refer to her as 'the Duchess of Cork'.
Other Secret Refuges
Earlier this month, the Mail revealed that Ferguson had also secretly taken refuge at the world-renowned Paracelsus Recovery Clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, for much of January, at a cost of £13,000 per day. She is also understood to have visited the UAE in a similarly low-key manner, evading photographers and journalists.
Prior to disappearing overseas, Ferguson is believed to have made late-night visits to her former Royal Lodge home in Windsor to retrieve prized items. This furtive nomadic movement has prompted online commentators to joke that she is on 'a secret sofa-surfing world tour'.
Future Uncertainties
This has led to speculation about where she will ultimately settle, with increasing doubts that she will ever be able to reside in the UK again. Her daughter Beatrice has a Cotswolds home with a self-contained annex, or so-called granny flat, but this would entail a very public existence.
She previously co-habited with Andrew for years despite their divorce, facilitated by the sheer size of Royal Lodge, which boasts around 30 rooms. However, his reduced circumstances in Norfolk make resuming this arrangement there thought to be completely out of the question for Ferguson.
Expert Opinions and Family Movements
Royal author Andrew Lownie, who wrote a critical book on the scandal-hit couple titled Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, suggested she may end up living overseas. He stated, 'In Britain neither Sarah nor Andrew will be socially accepted again whatever they try to do or wherever they go. But in the Middle East no one will care about what they have got up to.' He added that multi-millionaires in Dubai and surrounding countries like Bahrain and Qatar are likely already bankrolling Ferguson.
Earlier this week, Ferguson and Andrew's daughter, Princess Eugenie, was seen in public for the first time since the arrest, venturing out with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, in London. The 12th in line to the throne was dressed casually in Nike trainers, blue leggings, a jacket, and a North Face baseball cap as she grabbed a coffee in Notting Hill.
Princess Beatrice was most recently seen in public in late January, photographed taking her daughter Sienna horse riding with her father, shortly before he was forced to move out of his Royal Lodge house in Windsor. After Andrew relocated to a farmhouse on the Sandringham estate, he was raided by police and arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The former prince spent 11 hours in custody on his 66th birthday last week while officers searched his Sandringham property before he was released under investigation.
