Sarah Ferguson Ready For an 'Independent Life' Away From Andrew, May Even 'Flee the UK': Source
After nearly three decades of living in the shadow of her ex-husband, Sarah Ferguson appears ready to finally break away. With Andrew Mountbatten Windsor ordered to vacate Royal Lodge and stripped of his remaining titles, the former Duchess of York is preparing to 'forge her own path,' according to friends. “She is going to be moving out and into a separate home,” a source close to Ferguson told PEOPLE. Some reports also suggest she may 'flee the UK.'
It was earlier reported that Fergie had asked for Adelaide Cottage for herself, while Mountbatten Windsor was keen on moving to Frogmore Cottage. “Contrary to reports, she has never asked for a property or any provision for herself. She will continue to forge an independent life,” the insider, however, clarified. Another claimed that she is “going to move forward independently,” suggesting that she may soon sever the last of her ties with the royal family in the wake of controversy.
Palace insiders say she is unlikely to join Mountbatten Windsor at Sandringham, where he is expected to settle once he vacates the 30-room Royal Lodge, the grand Windsor estate that once belonged to the Queen Mother. Many argue this is because their collective brand of 'the Yorks' has lost all its value amid the public outrage.
Sources say Fergie has been 'blaming herself' for how things have unraveled. “She keeps repeating, ‘What if I hadn’t done this, or hadn’t done that,’” a friend told the Daily Mail. Another insider said she has grown restless, even considering leaving the UK altogether. “She’s always rather lived on the hoof, and aside from her children and grandchildren, there’s not a lot to keep her here,” they said. “Put it this way, the invitations have dried up overnight.”
For years, Ferguson has been Mountbatten Windsor’s most steadfast defender. She stood by him through the fallout from his catastrophic 2019 Newsnight interview and continued to share a roof with him for 15 years as his public life collapsed.
Those close to her say Ferguson is more anxious than Mountbatten Windsor himself, reportedly 'hunkering down' inside Royal Lodge, surrounded by unopened Amazon boxes as the couple’s belongings are gradually packed away. “The deliveries that go up to Royal Lodge are unbelievable,” said an insider. “There are rooms full of boxes that haven’t even been opened. It will take weeks, if not months, to shift all their stuff out.”