Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson is reportedly yearning to move out of Royal Lodge and away from her former husband Prince Andrew- but feels “too old, too tired, and too fearful” to start again.
Friends of the 66-year-old Duchess of York told Radar Online on Wednesday that while she would “love to move out” she still feels “responsible for Andrew.”
“Sarah feels utterly trapped. She’s furious that, after everything she’s survived- cancer, heartbreak, humiliation- she’s now being pulled back into Andrew’s and the Epstein mess again,” one source said.
“She’d love to move out of Royal Lodge, but she’s terrified of what that would mean. She’s older, she’s tired, and she’s afraid of being completely alone.”
The insider added that “there’s no love left there with Andrew as a partner” but that Fergie has remained “tied to him for decades”.
“He’s her past and, in some sad way, her safety net. Even when he ruins her peace, she still feels responsible for him.”
Despite being divorced for nearly thirty years, the pair, who share daughters Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, have continued to share the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate- once home to the late Queen Mother.
Prince Andrew took on a “cast-iron lease” for the property in 2004, which runs until 2078.
While it’s long been reported that King Charles III wants his brother and former sister-in-law to vacate the increasingly dilapidated property, neither appears willing to move.
Following renewed scrutiny over their connections to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, it’s understood that the King has banned both Andrew and Fergie from royal public events- including Christmas at Sandringham.
Just days ago, The Sun published an email allegedly sent by Prince Andrew to Epstein in 2011, which appeared to contradict his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview where he insisted they’d cut contact a year earlier.
In the leaked message, Andrew allegedly wrote: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
Although Andrew has denied wrongdoing, his association with Epstein led the late Queen to strip him of his royal titles and duties in 2022.
In late September, The Sun and The Mail also published an email Fergie wrote to Epstein in 2011, in which she referred to him as her “supreme friend” – despite publicly distancing herself from him.
The fallout has seen several charities drop her as patron, including a children’s hospice and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
However, earlier in the year, veteran royal photographer Arthur Edwards said he believes no scandal will sever the bond between the Yorks.
“They’re still very close and will be until the day they die,” veteran royal photographer Arthur Edwards told The Sun.
Fergie herself confirmed the enduring loyalty in a December 2024 interview with The Times: “I won’t let Andrew down. He supports me as much as I support him. He’s supported me through thick and thin, not just marriage or divorce.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.skynews.com.au ’
