Ferguson has kept a low profile, spending time in the French Alps and the UAE with her daughter Eugenie
Defiant Sarah Ferguson is reportedly planning a remarkable return to public life, amid scrutiny following the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The former duchess, 66, has told friends: “I need to get back to work. I need money,” as she plots a reinvention away from her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Sources say Ferguson has been keeping a low profile while “getting her head together,” spending time with friends in the French Alps before travelling to the United Arab Emirates. She has also been in the region with her youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, who was attending an art fair in Doha, Qatar, for her work with art dealer Hauser and Wirth.
Until recently, Ferguson had been living with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whom she divorced in 1996. He left Royal Lodge last week, formalising their long-awaited separation, Mirror reports. Ferguson is now reportedly planning to distance herself from him.
She told a friend: “When I come back I am going to have to put some distance between myself and Andrew.” Despite her intentions, Ferguson faces obstacles in mounting a comeback.
According to the Daily Mail, she intends to remain “in the Windsor area,” either buying or renting a new home, but critics question her prospects. One source said: “I don’t know whether Sarah is just deluded or desperate.
“She is 66 and has no home and no discernible income. The public is disgusted by what they have read. And how would she pay a new PR team to rescue her reputation?”
The former duchess’s financial troubles are intertwined with her association with Epstein. Emails revealed in the recent files show Ferguson repeatedly seeking his help to pay debts and manage practical matters over an extended period. Reports suggest she remained in contact with Epstein even after his release from prison for sex offences against children, taking her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, to lunch with him just five days after he was freed.
Ferguson also privately apologised to Epstein for publicly denouncing him, claiming she had done so to protect her career as a children’s author. In her correspondence, she described him as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.”
Once a regular presence on television, including appearances on This Morning and Loose Women, Ferguson is now said to be scouting for a new PR team to manage her return. Sources indicate she is keen to rebuild a public profile independent of her former husband.
Her plans come amid ongoing public scrutiny over her ties to Epstein and her financial instability. Friends and observers have noted the difficulty of attracting new opportunities given her recent notoriety and lack of a permanent residence.
Ferguson’s attempts to re-establish herself in the public eye appear to balance personal reinvention with the challenges of repairing a reputation tarnished by scandal.