Sarah Ferguson ‘has nowhere to go – or anyone else to go with’, friends said last night as negotiations rumble on over her and Prince Andrew’s future.
The former Duchess of York is said to be ‘on the edge’ as it is claimed she and her ex-husband have demanded royal officials provide two homes at Windsor – one for each of them – if they are to move out of Royal Lodge, the mansion they have shared since 2008.
In the latest twist to the saga it has been suggested that they may finally go their separate ways – with Andrew taking Harry and Meghan’s old home Frogmore Cottage, while his ex-wife is demanding Adelaide Cottage, currently being vacated by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Sources close to the couple, who have been divorced for almost 30 years, have reacted angrily, however, to such a suggestion, insisting the offer is ‘misrepresentative of the truth’ and it has, in fact, ‘been on the table for months’.
‘It was an option put forward by the “other side” and at an early stage [in negotiations],’ they claimed.
‘Whether it is still on the table, I don’t know. But the suggestion that they have been demanding a new home each is misrepresentative of the truth.
‘No demands have been made. People have been trying to come up with solutions.’
While Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the claims, insiders say they simply ‘do not recognise’ this version of events, however.
King Charles has long wanted his beleaguered younger brother to move out of Grade II-listed, 30-room Royal Lodge on the Windsor Great Park estate, which he acquired in 2004 after the Queen Mother’s death two years earlier.
Andrew bought a 75-year lease on the property for £1million and paid £7.5million upfront for repairs and refurbishment, which means he largely lives there rent-free, paying only a nominal ‘peppercorn’ amount each year.
Now it has been claimed that Andrew and his ex-wife may finally be willing to go their separate ways, albeit in houses barely a few miles’ drive from each other.
That has sparked surprise among some in royal circles who point out that the King has no legal responsibility whatsoever towards Sarah, who has, in effect, been a ‘lodger’ at her former husband’s home for almost two decades.
Others, however, point out that the monarch may consider it prudent to keep Sarah ‘in the fold’, rather than her consider another tell-all book.
She has already brought out a memoir in 1996, the year she divorced Andrew, and then an autobiography in 2011.
The King has also treated his former sister-in-law kindly in recent years given her personal battles after being diagnosed with both breast and skin cancers. Sources with knowledge of Sarah’s situation have described her as ‘absolutely bereft’ and ‘completely on the edge’.
She is said to be hugely ’embarrassed’ by the scandal which has also come home to roost for her personally after the publication of a ‘cringeworthy’ email she wrote to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, apologising profusely for disassociating herself from him publicly following his child sex conviction in 2008.
It has also been claimed that she repeatedly pestered the billionaire paedophile for money to bail her out of personal and business debts.
‘She is contrite and embarrassed but also fears the scandal has fatally damaged her own business interests, including a number of new fictional books that are due to come out,’ a source said.
‘People don’t want to be associated with her any more.’
The friend added: ‘The honest truth is that she has nowhere to go and no one to go with [if Andrew loses Royal Lodge].
Her future is hanging in the balance.’ Another source added: ‘The King is a kind man but his patience has been pushed to the limit. However, the last thing he also wants is another “Spare” [the vitriolic memoir brought out by his own son, Prince Harry, in 2023].’
Five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, although ‘lovely’, according to one who has visited it, will be considered a step down by Andrew from Royal Lodge, which has been described as ‘terribly grand’.
While both Frogmore Cottage and Adelaide Cottage are managed by the Crown Estate, each would require Andrew and Sarah to pay a commercially reasonable rent.
The King has previously offered to fund his brother again if he moved out of Royal Lodge, but it is not known whether that offer is still on the table given recent events.
Charles believes Andrew’s determination to stay in the mansion – which despite the advantageous lease comes with huge annual running costs – has played a large part in his downfall, drawing him to wealthy businessmen with shadowy backgrounds such as Epstein and British businessman Adrian Gleave, whose company allegedly ripped off pensioners.
More than a year ago he cut off the prince’s private allowance and offered him Frogmore Cottage as an alternative home, but Andrew stubbornly turned him down, insisting his lease on Royal Lodge was ‘cast iron’ and he would not move.
Andrew is now said to be reconsidering his future, however, after weeks of renewed scandal over his relationship with Epstein and allegations from ‘beyond the grave’ by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by the billionaire businessman to have sex with the prince on three occasions in her posthumous memoir Nobody’s Girl – claims Andrew vehemently denies.
The furore has also led to further examination of his lavish living arrangements despite having been forced to give up his HRH title and official duties several years ago.
Earlier this month the growing public outrage forced the prince to finally ‘give up’ his remaining honorary titles, including that of the Duke of York, although there are still calls for Parliament to formally strip them from him.
Negotiations about his future living arrangements are now said to be at an ‘advanced stage’, although some sources have cautioned they are by no means concluded yet.
