Buckingham Palace announced today that King Charles is beginning the formal process of removing his brother Andrew’s titles and honors. That process affects Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, as well. Earlier this month, when Andrew relinquished the use of his royal titles, Ferguson stopped using the title Duchess of York.
Now as Andrew must vacate his residence at Royal Lodge, so too must Ferguson. The couple have lived at the estate since the early 2000s and have been leasing the property from the Crown Estate, although it was recently revealed Andrew has not paid rent in over two decades. He held a lease to Royal Lodge through 2078, but has now been asked to leave.
“Formal notice has today been served to surrender the lease. The move will take place as soon as practicable,” Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday. Prince Andrew will move to a property on the private Sandringham estate. Town & Country understands Ferguson will make her own living arrangements.
In recent weeks, Andrew’s assocition with Jeffrey Epstein has resulted in a wave of damaging headlines for the monarchy, stemming from his appearance in Virginia Giuffre’s newly published memoir as well as the news that he emailed Epstein after he said they had ceased contact. In September, Ferguson was dropped by several charities after an email she is said to have sent to Epstein was made public. Andrew stepped down as a working royal in 2019 after an interview he gave surrounding allegations that he had sexually assaulted Giuffre. He has always denied the allegations against him and continues to do so.
Today’s statement from Buckingham Palace emphasized: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at .
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