Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Tyler Robinson should he be convicted.

The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk wants a judge to ban cameras from the courtroom and says live broadcasts of the prosecution are violating his right to a fair trial. Tyler Robinson was back in state court in Utah on Friday as his lawyers asked to delay his May preliminary hearing and pressed their claims that biased coverage is tainting potential jurors in his aggravated murder case.

Among numerous examples cited was a New York Post story they say suggested Robinson confessed to Mr Kirk’s killing during a courtroom conversation on December 11, in his first appearance after being charged. The conversation with his lawyers was inaudible, but the story cited a “lip reading analysis” to support its claim that Robinson said: “I think about the shooting daily.”

“The predominant purpose being served by the live stream coverage has not been the educational reporting of the court proceedings, but rather advertising profit, sensationalism, political agendas, and, most prominently, the vilification of Mr Robinson,” his lawyers wrote in their request to bar cameras. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson should he be convicted in the September 10 shooting of the conservative activist, who was addressing a crowd of thousands on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem.

Robinson, who turned 23 on Thursday, has not yet entered a plea. A trial date has not been set. Media organisations, prosecutors and Mr Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, want the court to allow cameras.

They argue the best way to guard against the misinformation and conspiracy theories that concern Robinson’s defence team is to make the process transparent. Yet livestreaming by media outlets already has tested the patience of Judge Tony Graf.

During the December hearing, Judge Graf temporarily stopped the livestream after it showed the defendant’s shackles in violation of a courtroom decorum order. A January hearing was interrupted when Robinson’s lawyers said close-up shots of Robinson being livestreamed by a local television station could again lead to claims based on lip reading.

That, too, was a violation of Judge Graf’s decorum order. The judge ordered the camera operator not to film Robinson for the remainder of the hearing.

In recent hearings and again on Friday, pool cameras for the media were stationed at the rear of the courtroom, behind Robinson. The judge also made camera operators come before him to acknowledge they understand the rules.

Mike Judd, a lawyer for a coalition of media organisations including The Associated Press fighting to preserve access, said the judge has so far focused on whether his rules inside the courtroom are being followed, not what the media is saying outside court.

“The court can do all of that in order to try to control what gets fed into that media ecosystem,” Mr Judd said. “You reduce the likelihood of somebody publishing things that you think may be of potentially biasing concern later on.”

The preliminary hearing scheduled for May is for prosecutors to show they have enough evidence to proceed to trial. Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle.

But the defence argued on Friday it cannot move forward with the hearing until law enforcement agencies turn over more details about their DNA analysis of evidence.

Prosecutors responded that they have sufficient proof beyond DNA to tie Robinson to Mr Kirk’s killing. That includes surveillance video of Robinson near the university from the morning of the shooting wearing the same clothes as when he turned himself in.

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Robinson left a handwritten note for his partner confessing to the crime before it happened, and also confessed to friends on the chatroom platform Discord, prosecutors said.

Rescheduling the preliminary hearing could delay the proceedings six months, Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride said.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” he added.

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Dog owners are being warned about a major dog law change that could see them hit with unlimited fines

Dog owners are being alerted about a significant legal change that could result in them facing unlimited fines. The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 officially took effect on March 18, 2026, introducing some of the most substantial updates to countryside regulations in decades.

The alert comes as extended daylight hours and milder temperatures encourage more people to venture outdoors for walks. Under the new legislation, which is applicable in England and Wales, the previous £1,000 maximum penalty has been scrapped, meaning courts can now impose unlimited fines on owners whose dogs are discovered to have worried livestock.

Crucially, “livestock worrying” doesn’t simply mean an attack; it encompasses chasing animals or causing them fear or stress, even without any physical injury. Simultaneously, police have been granted enhanced powers to investigate incidents.

Officers can now seize and detain dogs suspected of involvement, enter premises with a warrant and gather evidence, including obtaining DNA samples or mouth impressions to assist in identifying the dog responsible. For numerous owners, it’s a development that feels considerably more severe than previously.

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Michael Nelson, from Kennel Store, said: “A lot of people still think this law only applies if a dog actually attacks or injures an animal, but that’s not the case. Even something as simple as chasing livestock can be enough.

“Owners often say their dog is friendly and wouldn’t hurt anything and that might be true in most situations. But around livestock, instinct can take over very quickly, and that’s where problems start.”

Major dog law change means roads and paths now included

One of the most significant changes catching people by surprise is where the law now applies. Previously concentrated on agricultural land, the revised legislation now covers incidents occurring on roads, paths and public rights of way near livestock, not just within fields.

Michael explained: “That’s a big change that hasn’t really cut through yet. You don’t actually have to be walking through a field anymore. If your dog reacts to animals from a nearby path or road, you could still be in trouble.”

The law has also been amended to reflect the genuine impact these incidents can have. Livestock don’t need to be physically injured for an offence to occur; stress alone can cause serious harm, including miscarriage or long-term health issues.

Michael added: “From a distance, it can look harmless, a dog running or barking, but for the animals involved, it’s a completely different story. They can panic, run, and injure themselves very easily.”

He also cautioned that once an incident occurs, the consequences can escalate rapidly: “People don’t always realise how serious it can become. You could be dealing with police involvement, your dog being taken away while it’s investigated and potentially a very significant fine.”

Courts can also order owners to cover the costs associated with seizing and caring for a detained dog, adding to the financial impact.

Michael said: “If you’re anywhere near livestock, the safest thing you can do is keep your dog on a lead. It’s not about whether your dog is well-trained or friendly. It’s about understanding that in the wrong moment, any dog can react.”

It’s a cesspit of a thread – a staggering 49 pages long and counting. Hundreds upon hundreds of comments piled one on top of another, with the words dipped within varying degrees of malice. 

The anonymous comments oscillate between concern, disgust, crude sexualised descriptions of those involved and generally hate-fuelled ranting.

They can be found on the gossip forum Tattle.Life, and are all aimed at influencer Sophie May Dickson, who lost her daughter, 16-year-old Princess, reportedly to suicide, in February.

Sophie, 32, is no stranger to trolls after appearing in the controversial reality show Blinging Up Baby, but what was the reason she invoked such ire this time? Grieve ‘incorrectly’, with the influencer’s decision to share photos from her daughter’s funeral, and posting references to Princess’s death, causing an ongoing backlash.

For some, enough is enough, and the infamous online forum has also found itself at the centre of this story, with public figures attributing Tattle.Life as a contributing factor to the teenager’s death.

A letter sent by MP Jess Asato, signed by 20 members of parliament, directly addressed Ofcom about the impact the site had on the teenagers wellbeing.

‘Princess had been the subject of sustained and escalating online harassment, stalking and abuse by the adult users of Tattle.Life,’ the letter read.

‘The abuse included repeated derogatory commentary about her body, appearance, mental health, family and personal life. Users of the site created anonymous and fake accounts to monitor her TikTok activity, comment directly on her content, attend her live streams, screen-record and capture images of her, and then republish that material on Tattle Life for further discussion and ridicule.’

At present, further circumstances around Princess’s death are private, with the coroner’s report yet to be published. It should also be noted that mental health is a complex issue, with a myriad of factors often contributing to someone’s passing.

Yet, the death of a child doesn’t seem to have quelled the braying masses – if anything, it has poured petrol onto a roaring fire. Trolls continue to plague Sophie, with many on Tattle.Life speculating the authenticity of her grief, whether she’s fit to be a mother, and the contents of Princess’s suicide note.

It’s a tragic new low for a site previously hailed as ‘the most hate-filled corner of the web.’ Established in 2017 as a part of internet snark culture, Tattle.Life quickly became known as a community where users could hold famous names and lifestyle influencers to account.

Celebrities such Katie Price, Zoella and Stacey Solomon (as well as their families) continue to be regularly dissected. One thread, for example, discusses how ugly the children of one TV presenter are.

A report by VictimFocus, compiled in July last year, collected data from 150 people who reported to be victims of Tattle.Life. The research found over 90% of victims were repeatedly stalked and harassed, with 89% feeling ‘traumatised, isolated, fearful’ and in some instances ‘suicidal’.

Psychologist Dr Jessica Taylor, the CEO of VictimFocus, has previously been targeted by Tattle.Life users. The comments, she explains, started off in a fairly petty fashion – about her appearance, her qualifications, before they rapidly snowballed into outright lies and stalking.

‘A picture of my wife’s car and number plates was posted on Tattle,’ she tells Metro. ‘Users found the links to our home on RightMove. They discussed my children and their safety.

‘My thread was emailed to my family, my friends, the university where I had worked, my publishers, my agents and producers, with disgusting, malicious and false information. No stone was left unturned. We felt unsafe – it was one of the worst periods of my life.’

According to the letter Asato wrote to Ofcom, Tattle.Life users had turned their attention towards Princess since she was 14, and faced ‘repeated derogatory comments about her body and appearance’.

Although a dedicated thread about Sophie – where comments about Princess were also posted –  was temporarily disabled after the young girl was targeted, when the section was reinstated, the abuse continued.

‘Tattle,Life was viewed on a computer in school, and children and parents alike made cruel comments in person based on what they had read online. Even without a phone in her own hand, the abuse continued,’ Sophie told the Mail Online in an interview following her daughter’s death.

‘It was the most unhinged thing from people who know nothing about me’

One lifestyle influencer, who we are calling Lauren, discovered she was featured on Tattle.Life in 2019, after seeing journalist Sali Hughes’s video about being targeted on the site.

‘I read through my entire thread that night, for the first and last time,’ she tells Metro.

The comments Lauren received in the early iterations of her thread were mean-spirited, but escalated as she scrolled further.

‘People said horrible things that I was overweight, or that I was underweight, or that I looked like a man,’ she remembers.

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While she hasn’t looked at her thread since, other people have informed Lauren at just how personal some of Tattle.Life had become, threatening to spill into the real world.

‘I was told to kill myself. People had tried to contact ex-boyfriends. They called the RSPCA to report me about my dog. This trolling had become stalking,’ she says.

‘It was the most unhinged, abnormal thing from people who know nothing about me.

‘I’ve had friends completely debilitated by trolling on the site. They’ve been forced to stop posting, which means they’ve lost their income. It’s completely ruined their lives.

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‘If I have adult friends who struggled with it, there’s no way anyone could expect children to cope with this level of hate.’

It’s not surprising that anyone who experiences online bullying will feel the impact, but it can be markedly more difficult for young people to deal with, explains Dr Emily Crosby, Child and Educational Psychologist.

‘They are more likely to believe the comments as they have not developed their self-confidence or self-worth yet which makes them more likely to be influenced,’ she tells Metro.

And while targeting a child may seem extreme, the anonymous nature of a site like Tattle.Life can encourage an escalating scale of abuse – Sophie’s lifestyle may have been the initial target, but her children soon became collateral damage.

”Often those who do not have a sense of belonging in the offline world take to online to seek this,’ Dr Crosby explains. ‘The internet allows people to use all hours of the day and hide behind fake names which makes access to this type of behaviour more readily available. Such language and hate speech escalates as they are so fast paced and each comment influences further comments.’

Tattle.Life claims to have a ‘zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful or harmful’. A statement on the website reads: ‘A team of moderators [is] online 24/7 to remove any content that breaks our strict rules – often in minutes.’

However, Jess claims that her numerous requests to get content removed were not acted upon.

This was the same case for Northern Irish fashion retailer Donna Sands and her husband Neil, after they were viscously trolled on the site. So the couple managed to hit Tattle.Life where it hurts – in the courtroom.

They argued that the website had ‘profited as a space where users could defame, harass, stalk and attack others online’ and were eventually awarded £300,000 by the Northern Ireland High Court.

Their case also saw Sebastian Bond, vegan cooking influencer and author, unmasked as Tattle.Life’s owner. Yet, despite the ruling, Tattle.Life is still active.

It has previously been reported to have 12 million monthly visitors, with Bond reportedly making between an estimated £180,000-£500,000 a year from advertising revenue.

According to Jess, who explores the motivations and stalking tactics of those who frequent the site in her upcoming book Click.Stalk.Destroy: Inside the minds of online stalkers, there is a massive misunderstanding.

‘Traditional stalkers tend to operate alone. On Tattle.Life, there are hundreds of them. They operate in groups, which means they receive positive reinforcement for everything they post from other stalkers. Being horrible or intimidating is normalised, and they become desensitised to it over time,’ she explains.

‘They create a fantasy that they are actually social justice warriors, and what they are doing to their victim is righteous. It’s why these threads tend to start with something small and petty, but that small thing cannot sustain that sense of moral grievance for long. So they find something else and it starts to escalate.

‘Tattle.Life has effectively turned trolling and stalking into sport,’ she adds.

Following Princess’ death,a letter from Ofcom has demanded answers from Tattle.Life regarding compliance with new Online Safety Act, a 2023 UK law requiring platforms to protect users online.

What will happen next for Tattle.Life remains uncertain; as of last year, Bond faces an additional 40 libel lawsuits against him, while regulatory powers may exert pressure for the website to close.

Meanwhile, Jess believes those who use the site should be confronted with the reality of just what they’re doing.

‘Just because they’re doing this sat at home with a glass of wine, doesn’t mean what they’re doing isn’t criminal,’ she says. ‘They are sadists. They are destroying people’s lives, and they’re enjoying it.’

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The incident happened in Hindley on Saturday, April 11, after officers from Greater Manchester Police responded to reports of a stolen bladed weapon.

Officers quickly detained two men in the area, arresting both on suspicion of theft.

One man was further arrested on suspicion of possessing a bladed article, possession of an offensive weapon, and police say he was found to be wanted on recall to prison.

All stolen items and weapons were seized.

Mia’s baby Clayton might not have survived without the care he received from the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

A woman who gave birth at only 22 weeks said if her baby had not received care from the East Anglian Air Ambulance, he “wouldn’t be alive”. Mia Cornelius, 21, started feeling stomach pains at home on Sunday, January 12, 2025, before going into premature labour.

She then gave birth to Clayton well before his due date. The East Anglian Air Ambulance sent two crew members, Dr Liam Neale and Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) Jon Locke to her house to help Miss Cornelius and her newborn.

Miss Cornelius, from Haverhill, said: “They came to assess Clayton because of how dire the situation was. He was so tiny and really struggling to breathe. I had lost a lot of blood as well. The East Anglian Air Ambulance did a good job of assessing me as well and checking I was okay and comfortable. If it wasn’t for them, Clayton probably wouldn’t be alive.”

The crew were able to help raise Clayton’s heart rate and oxygen levels using equipment and knowledge that paramedics do not have. Dr Nicola Ebbs, the Deputy Medical Director, sai this care can make a difference in life or death situations.

She said: “For baby Clayton, he received that hospital level care at home. His oxygen levels and heart rate were low. The treatment that Liam and Jon were able to give him meant they could raise them otherwise he would have had half an hour of none of that care before getting to the hospital.

“It’s that additional care we can deliver that can really make a difference. We can’t fit the whole of a hospital into the back of a helicopter but the key bits of equipment and interventions are what we try and deliver to impact patients’ outcomes.”

Alongside the air ambulance crew, a road ambulance and paramedics also attended. Miss Cornelius described the situation as ‘chaotic’ but said the air ambulance crew helped to “calm everything down”.

She added: “It was quite surreal at first. They were so organised and calm. They took the situation into their own hands and helped us through it so well. It’s not just stressful for patients. I can imagine for them walking into that would be quite scary but they seemed to be so calm. It was so strange how quickly they calmed everything down.”

The East Anglian Air Ambulance is able to bring a higher level of care to patients who are in ‘dire’ need. She continued: “They bring hospital care to people’s homes. The equipment and knowledge they’ve got, you can only find that in intensive care units and in hospitals. Normal paramedics are amazing but these guys bring so much knowledge and experience, they can perform work that you really only see in hospitals.”

As Cambridge Airport is due to close, the East Anglian Air Ambulance has approval to build a new site in Fulbourn – but the charity needs to raise £8.2 million first. Miss Cornelius said her baby might not have survived without help from the air ambulance crew.

She continued: “It’s very important to have a base so people in this area are able to receive that care. There are so many different accidents and medical emergencies that they see to on a daily basis.

“Not having an air base in the area could affect the service majorly. There are people that are going to need this care.”

There are many ways people can get involved to help raise the money needed for the new air base. You can donate online, text BASE10 or BASE20 to 70480 to donate £10 or £20 or return a donation using an appeal envelope that will be delivered to households across the region.

People who donate £175 or more will have their chosen name added to one of the charity’s helicopters. For more information about donating, you can visit the East Anglian Air Ambulance website.

Marcela Zberea, 29, and Stelian Dorin Nica, 36, have issued an urgent appeal to try and find stem cells donors for their two sons, Cezar Nica, aged two, and David Nica, 10 months. The boys have been diagnosed with rare and life-threatening genetic disorder Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS). Neither parents are a match and the family are now working with the charity DKMS to raise awareness of its stem cell register (Family handout/DKMS)

BEIRUT (AP) — A truce took hold Friday between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, providing relief on both sides of the border and an opening for Iran and the United States to reach a deal to end the wider war.

The ceasefire appears to have led Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing the global energy crisis. But major obstacles remain, as Hezbollah has not formally agreed to the truce and wants Israel to withdraw. Israel says it is “not finished” dismantling the Iran-backed militant group and has announced plans to occupy a swath of southern Lebanon.

The 10-day truce appeared to be mostly holding on its first day, as thousands of Lebanese returned to their homes in the south. Hezbollah had launched missiles into Israel in early March, two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran. Israel had responded with heavy bombardment and a ground invasion.

Here’s a look at the ceasefire deal.

The agreement says only Israel can act in self-defense

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on Thursday, describing it as a deal between Israel and Lebanon, whose government had been largely sidelined in the war. Israel has long accused Lebanon of failing to disarm Hezbollah in line with previous agreements and the government’s own plan.

The U.S. State Department published a text of the deal and described it as a gesture by Israel “to enable good-faith negotiations” toward a permanent peace agreement with Lebanon. It said the 10-day truce could be extended by mutual agreement if the talks progress and “Lebanon effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty.”

The agreement calls for the Lebanese state to prevent Hezbollah and other armed groups from attacking Israel, as did the ceasefire agreement that halted the last Israel-Hezbollah war in November 2024.

The 2024 agreement stated that both Israel and Lebanon would have the right to act in “self defense,” without elaborating. Israel continued to regularly strike what it said were militant targets, often killing civilians, while Hezbollah held its fire until last month.

The new agreement, according to the U.S., gives Israel the “right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” It does not mention any similar right for Lebanon or Hezbollah.

Israel wants Hezbollah disarmed. Hezbollah wants Israel out

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the truce at Trump’s request but was “not finished yet” with Hezbollah. Israel has said it will occupy a 10-kilometer (6-mile) deep buffer zone in southern Lebanon — and prevent people from returning — until all threats are eliminated.

With elections later this year, Netanyahu is under mounting pressure to show that he vanquished Israel’s enemies in the wars sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza — which happened on his watch.

Israel and the U.S. want Lebanese authorities to disarm Hezbollah, by force if necessary. But while Beirut had taken significant steps to assert its control over southern Lebanon before the war, authorities have been unwilling to risk a civil war by fully confronting the heavily armed militant group.

On Truth Social, Trump said Israel is now “PROHIBITED” by the U.S. from bombing Lebanon, an unusually direct assertion of American control over an ally. The U.S. has portrayed the truce as the result of direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiations held in Washington — the first in decades.

Iran and Hezbollah say the deal is actually the result of the larger negotiations between Tehran and Washington and was brought about by Iranian leverage.

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said in a post on X that “while the Lebanese government and Trump are attempting to claim this ceasefire as their own initiative,” it was “the resistance of Hezbollah’s fighters and Iran’s multifaceted pressures” that led to the truce.

Hassan Fadlallah, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, told reporters Friday that Iran had informed Hezbollah leaders of the ceasefire agreement early Thursday, long before Trump announced it.

Lebanon truce appears to be part of the wider ceasefire

Iran — as well as the mediator, Pakistan — had said Lebanon was included in the wider ceasefire reached with the U.S. in separate negotiations earlier this month. That was denied by the U.S., as well as Israel, which launched a massive bombardment of Beirut after it took effect.

Two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press on Friday that Pakistan played a role in securing the ceasefire in Lebanon. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks.

Lebanon’s government has been against the war from the beginning and was eager to end it but had little leverage over Hezbollah. Instead, the task fell to Iran, which many Lebanese will see as yet another infringement on their sovereignty.

In a speech Friday, Aoun thanked the U.S. and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, for their efforts to secure a ceasefire. He did not mention Iran.

Tehran appears to have used its control over the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump’s desire to end an increasingly unpopular and economically painful war, to halt Israel’s campaign against its proxy.

As the Lebanon truce went into effect, both Trump and Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, announced that the strait had been reopened, something the U.S. had been unable to do through weeks of heavy bombardment and the sinking of much of Iran’s navy.

Araghchi directly linked it to the Lebanon ceasefire.

___

Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed.

The last major video games award event of the season has honoured narrative game Dispatch with three awards, but it didn’t win Best Game.

At this point, the only possible surprise that could have come from the BAFTA 2026 Games Awards is if Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hadn’t dominated the night. But while BAFTA has had some very dubious winners in the past, not even they were contrary enough not to award it Best Game, as well as Debut Game for developer Sandfall Interactive, and Performer in a Leading Role for Jennifer English as Maelle.

Expedition 33 has won Best Game in virtually every award event and top 10 of the year list, including our own, so the win is definitely deserved, even if the recognition is a bit redundant at this point.

The Telltale Games style superhero adventure Dispatch also picked up three awards, for Animation, Audio Achievement, and Performer in a Supporting Role for Jeffrey Wright as Chase.

BAFTA always favours narrative games over other genres, and has a tendency to ignore Japanese games, so while Ghost Of Yōtei did pick up two awards, for Music and Technical Achievement, it was made in the US.

Other winners included Rebellion’s Atomfall for British Game, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for Artistic Achievement, and Blue Prince for Game Design. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 won Narrative and Arc Raiders won the Multiplayer award.

The most controversial award of the night had already been announced in advance, with the BAFTA Fellowship going to Supercell CEO and co-founder Ilkka Paananen, who is not a creative. Supercell is best known for mobile games like Clash Of Clans (which is currently running a promotion for a foot fetish cosmetic pack).

According to BAFTA, the Fellowship is awarded to those, who ‘have driven innovation, creativity, and positive change in the screen arts over the course of their career.’ Previous winners include Shigeru Miyamoto and Will Wright.

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For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

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Sarah Ferguson has reportedly been staying at a £2,000-a-night ski chalet in Austria, where she is said to be keeping a low profile amid ongoing fallout linked to the Epstein scandal

Sarah Ferguson is said to be reluctant to return to the UK after reportedly feeling “abandoned” by the Royal Family, sources have revealed. The former Duchess of York, who lost her title alongside her ex-husband Andrew amid scrutiny over their links to Jeffrey Epstein, has reportedly kept out of the public eye for months following action taken by King Charles last October.

Fergie has not been seen publicly since attending the christening of her one-year-old granddaughter Athena at London’s St James’s Palace on December 12. However, she has now reportedly been spotted staying at a £2,000-a-night ski chalet in Austria, where she is said to have been moving around the alpine village discreetly.

Uncertainty had surrounded her whereabouts after she was repeatedly named in a batch of documents released by US investigators examining the crimes of late financier Epstein.

A source close to the York family claimed Sarah has not been contacted by any member of the Royal Family since being stripped of the title she had used for decades, despite having been divorced from Andrew for 30 years.

One friend said: “Sarah is living in fear right now. She’s not immune to everything that is happening. She realises how serious everything is, and she is not coping with it.

“She is definitely worried about returning home to the UK and is relying on the kindness of friends to help her through the situation. But she knows she can’t keep moving around forever. Sarah feels she has been abandoned by the royal family and has been treated very unfairly. She is at a complete loss over what to do.”

Back in February, Fergie reportedly checked into one of the world’s most exclusive wellness clinic, following details about her close friendship with Epstein were revealed, the Mirror reports.

The luxury Paracelsus Recovery Clinic – where stays can cost around £13,000 a night – is understood to have offered her treatment free of charge, having previously worked with her as an ambassador.

Other reports suggest Sarah has been moving between a number of wellness retreats across Europe, with unconfirmed stays in Switzerland, Ireland and the Middle East. Sources also claim she has been offered the chance to stay with her sister in Australia.

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Meanwhile, speculation in publishing world continues to grow that she is planning a comeback with a tell-all memoir, reportedly seeking a fee of more than £1 million. A source said:”One thing is for certain, she is desperately short of cash.”

It comes as the first image of Fergie since the release of the Epstein files have surfaced, showing her appearing stony-faced as she stepped out of a blacked-out people carrier wearing glasses and a baseball cap, covering her trademark red hair.

Sources say she has largely avoided the spotlight since her last public appearance at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral in September, instead keeping a low profile in the Alps and rarely venturing out.

Epstein has also been central to the downfall of her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his titles by King Charles over what were described as “serious lapses of judgement” in relation to his friendship with the late paedophile.

Fergie also lost her courtesy royal divorcee title and reverted to her maiden name. More recently, she was stripped of the freedom of the city of York after councillors unanimously voted to remove the honour due to her links to Epstein.

She and Andrew were originally granted the honour as a wedding gift from the city in 1987 during an official visit.

The Epstein scandal intensified for Fergie last September when it emerged she had written to the convicted sex offender, describing him as a “supreme friend” despite previously distancing herself publicly – a revelation that led to several charities dropping her as a patron.

Further documents released in January appeared to show Fergie writing in an email to Epstein: “I am at your service. Just marry me.” In another email, she made a crude remark about her daughter Princess Eugenie’s love life, while also referring to Epstein as the “brother I have always wished for” and calling him a “legend”.

Another exchange reportedly suggested she had asked the disgraced financier for a job as a house assistant. It also emerged that she appeared to have taken her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to visit him in Florida just days after his release from prison in 2008.

The revelations prompted a US lawmaker to contact the former duchess, urging her to testify before Congress about Epstein. Congressman Suhas Subramanyam requested that she provide evidence as part of a government investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking operations.

Subramanyam’s letter to her read: “The Committee is seeking information from anyone who has knowledge of Mr Epstein’s criminal operations, and reports and released Department of Justice files reveal your close personal and business ties with him.

“As the Committee seeks justice for the survivors of Mr Epstein’s criminal enterprise, and transparency for the American public, I respectfully request your cooperation with the Committee’s investigation.” As a non-US citizen, Ferguson is not compelled to appear before Congress or respond to the request.