Sarah Ferguson's Close Friend Reveals Why She Refuses to Move to Sandringham With Andrew
After sharing Royal Lodge for almost two decades with her ex-husband, Sarah Ferguson has reportedly decided it's time to part ways. Her close friends say she intends to start a fresh chapter away from Windsor, ending their odd post-divorce cohabitation. The decision follows King Charles’s recent move to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his remaining titles, and the surrendering of his 30-room Royal Lodge that had been the former Prince's home since 2004.
As per reports, Mountbatten Windsor will relocate to a property on the Sandringham estate, a private accommodation funded by the monarch himself. On the other hand, Ferguson will be making her own independent arrangements. Speaking on Channel 5’s Jeremy, Storm & Vanessa show, her close friend Lizzie Cundy offered a shocking 7-word verdict on the matter. She said, “She [Fergie] doesn't want to live with Andrew,” adding, "Now she wants to draw the line and hopefully move on from this." Cundy argued that the former Duchess regrets her past misjudgments and is determined to rebuild her life without further controversy. "It has been tough for her. She's made the most huge silly mistakes...and no one knows that more than Sarah Ferguson today."
But where will she go? According to PEOPLE, the 66-year-old is said to be moving into separate accommodation. Earlier reports suggested that she had her eyes set on Adelaide Cottage; however, a source close to Fergie told the outlet, "Contrary to reports, she has never asked for a property or any provision for herself. She will continue to forge an independent life." A Palace insider also echoed the same sentiment, noting that it's highly unlikely that Ferguson will join Mountbatten Windsor in Sandringham. Her retreat from Windsor comes amid lingering embarrassment over her past ties with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
After the recent surfacing of her 2011 email to Epstein, in which Ferguson referred to him as her ‘supreme friend,’ she has largely kept a low profile. Her most recent public appearance was at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September. The Daily Mail reported that she has been ‘blaming’ herself for the turmoil surrounding her family. "She keeps repeating, ‘What if I hadn’t done this, or hadn’t done that,'" a friend told the outlet. Another insider also suggested that she could leave 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.”
Within the York family as well, tensions are said to have reached a breaking point. According to royal expert Rebecca English, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are more distressed by their mother’s conduct than their father’s scandals. Writing for the Daily Mail, she penned that the sisters were ‘deeply shocked’ by the resurfaced Epstein email, especially given Eugenie’s anti-trafficking advocacy. While both continue to support their parents, they reportedly feel ‘let down’ by their actions. Meanwhile, English also noted that Ferguson is said to be avoiding her former husband’s calls, having once been his most steadfast ally.