‘This is catastrophic’: Fergie lying low amid Andrew’s shock arrest

The whereabouts of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife and, until recently, housemate, are unclear following the former prince’s shock arrest.

Ferguson has largely kept out of the public eye since the former couple were told to vacate their 30-room royal lodgings near Windsor Castle in September as evidence emerged that they remained in contact with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein for longer than previously claimed.

There were reports the ex-duchess might move in with the oldest daughter Princess Beatrice’s family in the Cotswolds, but she was recently spotted in the French Alps with friends before catching up with Princess Eugenie, 35, who was at a contemporary art fair in Qatar for work, according to London’s Daily Mail.

Ferguson is yet to comment since Andrew’s release by British police after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and Hello! magazine reports she is “lying low” somewhere in the United Arab Emirates.

London’s Telegraph reported that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were understood to be “in a state” following their father’s arrest, with one of the girls thought to be with their mother. A source close to the 66-year-old questioned how much more she could take.

“This is catastrophic for her and the girls. She seems to be doing her best to put a brave face on it. Her desperation for money was clear stupidity, but does that equate to what she’s going through now?” the source told the Telegraph.

Ferguson, who married then-prince Andrew at a lavish wedding at Westminster Abbey in 1986 before separating just over five years later and divorcing in 1996, has stood by her ex-husband through years of scandal, calling him a “real gentleman” and “principled man” in a since-deleted Instagram post in 2019.

Revelations about her own relationship with Epstein, whom she called a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” in a 2011 email, have seen her dropped from various charities, including children’s hospice Julia’s House, food allergy charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Prevent Breast Cancer and the Teenage Cancer Trust. Six companies linked to Ferguson are to be shut down after the latest release of the so-called Epstein files, the BBC and CNN reported.

Ferguson has long admitted to having financial problems and sought advice on her finances from Epstein, emails released by the US Department of Justice show. Apologising in 2010 for a “serious lapse in judgment” after she was caught in a News of the World sting apparently offering access to Andrew in exchange for cash, the former duchess said: “It is true that my financial situation is under stress.”

Amid growing questions over her future, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail: “Sarah Ferguson has no future at all. She’s shamed and her businesses are closed down, and certainly no charity would touch her.”

Others suggested her former royal title may still carry some social status outside the United Kingdom. According to the Daily Mail, Ferguson is looking for a new PR team to help her return to society.

“In Britain, neither Sarah nor Andrew will be socially accepted again whatever they try to do or wherever they go. But in the Middle East, no one will care about what they have got up to,” Andrew Lownie, the author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, told the Daily Mail.

Being named in the millions of documents that make up the Epstein files does not imply any wrongdoing. Ferguson has previously said she regrets her friendship with Epstein, while Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Staff reporter

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