Sarah Ferguson has been inundated with lucrative tell-all interview offers – including from BBC’s Newsnight, the same show that led to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s disastrous ‘car crash’ interview in 2019.
The now infamous grilling of Fergie’s ex-husband has been described as one of the worst PR attempts in history, after he sought to salvage public opinion over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking to journalist Emily Maitlis, the former Duke of York remained shockingly unapologetic, went only so far as to describe Epstein’s behaviour as ‘unbecoming’ and claimed he could not sweat because he had a medical condition.
His appearance led to the beginning of Andrew’s unravelling as a public figure and ultimate ejection from the Royal Family.
Now it has emerged Fergie, 66, has been approached to give her side of the story – but insiders say she is taking time to ‘reflect’ while being holed up in a £2,000-a-night pine‑clad chalet in Austria.
Her swanky accommodation is located within a quiet resort close to the exclusive Mayrlife health clinic where the super-rich and supermodels are drawn to its remoteness and privacy, as well as its eccentric weight-loss programmes.
The former duchess was spotted earlier this week for the first time in months emerging from the rear of a black Mercedes people-carrier with tinted windows.
Wearing heavy-framed spectacles and with her distinctive reddish hair piled discreetly under a baseball cap, she bore little resemblance to her last official outing alongside Andrew at the Royal Family funeral for the Duchess of Kent seven months ago.
A source confirmed to The Sun that there has been growing media interest, but Fergie has not as yet agreed to any proposals.
They said: ‘She has had a lot of offers including from Newsnight but is spending her time reflecting and has no intention of speaking out.’
But they also added the time may yet come, adding: ‘Andrew has had his chances to tell his story. Now it’s Fergie’s time.’
The interview offers come as the former duchess remains ‘deeply troubled’ by her fall from grace and enforced removal from Royal Lodge.
Fergie also faces continuing pressure from US lawmakers to come forward and testify about her and Andrew’s relationship with Epstein.
Friends say her self-imposed solitude in Austria has been helpful in ‘recalibrating’ her outlook on life.
A friend told Daily Mail: ‘She is going through a process, taking time out to recalibrate.
‘Everything has gone: title, home, purpose, the lot. So, for these last weeks she has been trying to get her strength back and work out what she is going to do.
‘She’s not at the stage yet where she knows what the next steps will look like. It seems sensible not to break cover until she has some idea what shape her life is going to take.’
Fergie previously stayed at the Mayrlife resort on Lake Altaussee – which charges up to £6,700 for a two-week recuperative stay – two years ago, to recover after being diagnosed with a malignant melanoma.
