As scandal swirls around her ex-husband Sarah Ferguson has not been on hand as a shoulder to cry on or a rock of support – instead it appears she has ben busy looking after number one. The world was rocked last Thursday as swarms of detectives swooped on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s temporary home in Sandringham to arrest him – while others started combing through his former Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge.
Later that evening Andrew looked ashen when returning home hours later, quizzed on suspicion of sharing confidential material with the late Jeffrey Epstein when the ex-prince was working as a UK trade envoy. But after decades co-habiting at Royal Lodge with her ex-husband, as Andrew’s world was crashing around him last month – Fergie was reportedly holed up in the world-renowned £13,000-a-day Paracelsus Recovery Clinic in Zurich, Switzerland.
Now I’m not going to make light of mental health as it can be a crippling disease that is indiscriminate when it comes to age, social standing, wealth or race.
I also want to stress that when it comes to the millions of emails from the Epstein Files, Sarah Ferguson has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
But her complicated friendship with Epstein is certainly fawning, unsavoury and completely tone deaf to the crimes that the US financier committed.
For instance, flying to the US with her young daughters Beatrice and Eugenie to meet Epstein in 2009 – just days after his release from prison for procuring a 14-year-old girl for prostitution – shows a lamentable lack of moral judgement.
So while victims of Jeffrey Epstein are screaming for transparency and justice in the US, for Fergie to have spent time at a luxury wellness spa is grating.
Meanwhile for a woman who has lived most of her adult life with bankruptcy hanging over her head like the mythical Sword of Damocles, frankly how did she afford it?
Did a mystery benefactor pay her £13,000-a-day bill … and, if so, why? If it’s her own money, is spending so much of it, when cheaper options are surely available, a good idea? At this stage, given the lavish spending that seemed to make her desperate for Epstein’s help, perhaps someone should simply hide her bank cards.
It’s claimed she was there for the entire month of January. If so, that’s close to an eye-watering £400,000.
That’s no small change for any royal – especially an ex-duchess, turfed out of her mansion who last week closed six companies and is currently persona non grata in Blighty.
A Swiss source has claimed: “Sarah left for Zurich just after Christmas, and stayed until the end of January.
”She always feels at home at Paracelsus, and knows she’ll get love and attention there, as well as expert health treatment when she’s feeling at her most vulnerable.”
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The lakeside clinic offers several different month-long recovery programmes for ultra-wealthy clients. Individuals will have access to 15 medical experts, as well as a chauffeur and a private chef.
It specialises in the treatment of a number of conditions, including ‘addiction, burnout, depression, anxiety and trauma’ and is widely considered the most expensive wellness clinic in the world.
It charges around £110,000 for a three-day ‘comprehensive check-up’ or £350,000 for a one-month residential programme, which is fully customised.
The clinic boasts on its website: “Celebrities, oligarchs, and royalty who stay here are given top-tier treatment and access to the best addiction treatment providers anywhere.
“Clients stay in a penthouse with lake views and have access to concierge and limousine services as well as a personal chef, butler, and an on-site therapist.”
Right now, the lover of lavish spending is thought to be either in the French Alps or the United Arab Emirates. She has not been seen for months.
While in the Swiss clinic Fergie must have lit a thousand scented candles as headlines in the New Year revealed how she pandered to Epstein’s whims, while she begged him for either a job, to marry her or lend her money.
Emails suggested she asked Epstein how to deal with a multi-million-pound debt pile while he was still in jail. She then appeared to ask Epstein for £20,000 “urgently” to pay rent in 2009.
“The landlord has threatened to go to the newspapers if I don’t pay. Any brainwaves?” the email said.
Another email from the paedophile claimed that he had helped her financially for 15 years, while she had also appeared to ask for a role as his house assistant in May 2010.
“I am the most capable and desperately need the money… Please Jeffrey think about it.”
Paracelsus is described as a “sanctuary where individuals can receive the highest standard of care, free of judgement”, according to founder Jan Gerber.
Fergie has praised Paracelsus for its “discreet, bespoke care” – and she’ll need to find more places that are “free of judgement” to stay, now Royal Lodge is out of bounds.
As long as she has the money to pay the bills, I’m sure there are many more lavish bolt-holes for her to explore.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
