Real Reason Why Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Still Live Together — 29 Years After Their Divorce
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson have been divorced for far longer than they were married, their curious domestic setup always raising eyebrows. Since 2008, the former Duke and his ex-wife have shared Royal Lodge, the grand Windsor residence they once called home as a couple. And it seems nostalgia isn’t what’s kept them under the same roof. Insiders have now suggested that love and loyalty had little to do with it; money did.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Daily Mail, “My feeling is that it was because they are extremely greedy. I think the problem was they desired a certain lifestyle, and this was the main way to get it.” The 'arrangement of convenience,' as he described it, allowed both to hold on to the trappings of royal life, even after the titles, relevance, and income that once supported it had faded away.
With Mountbatten Windsor’s public role in tatters and Fergie’s finances often under scrutiny, pooling resources at Royal Lodge was simply the most practical way to live large on diminished means. But now the curtains have come down on the much-convenient arrangement. Following King Charles’s decision to strip Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles and push him out of Royal Lodge, the exes appear ready to finally go their separate ways — albeit not without negotiation.
It was earlier reported that the former couple had demanded two homes to stay separately but close by. “Andy is willing to leave, but these are his demands,” a source had told The Sun. “He is realistic and knows the writing is on the wall and that his time at Royal Lodge is up.” According to the source, the couple’s willingness to split households marks a major shift. “They have been under immense strain this year and need a break from one another. It’s a fresh start for both.”
However, after the former Prince was stripped of his titles, losing what he once called his 'birthright' and instructed to move to a privately funded residence, reports suggested that Ferguson too would have to find a new home of her own. PEOPLE reported that she will now have to make her own living arrangements.
The couple’s history makes their current saga even more curious. Married in 1986 and divorced by 1996, Mountbatten Windsor and Fergie famously insisted they were “divorced to each other, not from each other.” In an earlier interview, Fergie had said, “We always say we are the most contented divorced couple in the world. We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything. Our bywords are communication, compromise, and compassion.”
Yet, as recent events suggest, compassion has its limits when finances are involved.