The former Duke and Duchess of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, are living with a significant 'fear of the unknown' as pressure builds in the United States for the release of more documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a leading royal commentator has revealed.
Mounting Pressure for Full Disclosure
According to the expert, while the couple are currently 'out of the spotlight', the ongoing legal saga in America poses a persistent threat. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) faced a deadline of 19 December 2025 to release the vast majority of the so-called Epstein files. These documents pertain to the investigation into Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
However, only a fraction of the total cache was made public, with many pages heavily redacted. This limited disclosure has sparked outrage and renewed demands for transparency. Two Republican members of the US House of Representatives, Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, wrote to a federal judge on 8 January asking for intervention.
Their letter calls for the appointment of a special master to oversee the process, arguing the DOJ 'cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures' under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. They accused the Department of 'flagrant violation' of its obligations, claiming its actions have 'caused serious trauma to survivors'.
A Lingering Shadow Over the Royals
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Mirror that this unresolved situation weighs heavily on Andrew and Sarah. Both were stripped of their royal titles and patronages last year following years of controversy over their friendship with Epstein.
'The situation with the Epstein files has the potential to be even more damaging,' Fitzwilliams stated. 'Because they are so vast in number and there were so many redactions, it raises the obvious question of what else may be there, therefore I’m sure both Andrew and Sarah are fearing that there is more to come.'
The initial document release just before Christmas already contained damaging material, including a photograph of Andrew, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, reclining on the laps of women. Email correspondence between someone referred to as 'A' at Balmoral and the now-imprisoned Ghislaine Maxwell was also included.
An Uncertain Future and Faded Hopes
Fitzwilliams noted that Sarah Ferguson, in particular, 'appears to have gone to ground' since losing her title and being dropped by numerous charities. He suspects she harbours hopes of a public redemption but faces immense obstacles.
'She probably wants to make a comeback, which she has done before to an extent, but I suspect would have the greatest difficulty in negotiating that,' he said. 'With so many charities distancing themselves from her, I can’t see any plans for a comeback going anywhere.'
The expert concluded that the core issue for the pair is profound uncertainty. 'At the moment the spotlight is off them, but if the moment comes where more is discovered, it will be firmly back on them. And that’s the biggest problem for them - they simply don’t know what is coming.' He added that the long-running scandal has 'weakened the royal family over a long period', leaving everyone in a state of anxious anticipation about what the next revelation might be.
