Nearly four months after she was last seen in public, details have finally emerged about exactly how the former Duchess of York has remained hidden away.
Sarah Ferguson, along with her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were both heaped with more shame following the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the US government.
While Sarah has not been accused of any criminality, emails unearthed between herself and the late convicted sex offender have revealed the depth of their years-long friendship.
According to the Daily Mail, she has been on a “secret sofa-surfing world tour”, staying at the homes of a “succession of discreet, wealthy friends”.
One such ally, with whom she has been staying in contact through video calls, described her current appearance as “dishevelled”, explaining that “she hasn’t been taking care of her roots or keeping up with her Botox”.
Another said that she is currently switching between several mobile phones in her bid to stay out of the public eye.
“She really is low. She seems nervy,” the friend said.
“She has three phones and she goes cycling through them because she’s afraid that she might be being tracked. She is convinced that a lot of people wish her harm.”
After previously branding herself and her former royal ex as the “happiest divorced couple on earth”, and even living under the same roof until earlier this year, it seems Sarah’s friendship with Andrew is now under strain as they each grapple with the Epstein scandal.
“She and Andrew are on speaking terms but not talking that much. It is almost as if they have run away from each other. She is bobbing around with friends,” the friend said.
In February, police arrested Andrew at his home in Norfolk, in England’s east, before conducting raids on two properties linked to him. He was released after 11 hours in custody but remains under investigation.
Like her ex-husband, Sarah’s ties to Epstein have also been under scrutiny, with the fallout from the association beginning last September when emails between herself and the late billionaire from back in 2011 emerged.
In one, she called him her “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” – and it was sent only weeks after she’d given an interview describing her “terrible, terrible error of judgement” in having a friendship with him.
Sarah had also claimed she would have “nothing to do” with Epstein ever again.
The revelation last year resulted in Sarah being dropped by seven charities with which she was associated.
The latest drop of Epstein documents have been much more embarrassing for Sarah, with one gushing email from her praising the convicted sex offender as the “brother [I] have always wished for”.
The email was dated just weeks after Epstein’s release from prison after being convicted of prostituting minors as young as 14.
The following year, Sarah wrote to him: “You are a legend. I really don’t have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness. Xx I am at your service. Just marry me”.
While Sarah has not been sighted since the Epstein files’ release, she broke her silence via a spokesman last month in order to set the record straight on claims she was considering partaking in a truly bizarre reality series.
A TV source had claimed to the Mail that she’d engaged in discussions about cloning the late Queen’s beloved two corgies just months after her death in September 2022, at which time Sarah and Andrew had been granted custody of the pair of dogs.
The source alleged that Sarah seemed to be “up for anything provided she was paid”, although discussions ultimately “fizzled out” and the series never came to fruition.
Sarah’s representative confirmed parts of the story on Monday, admitting that she had received the proposal and had held talks with Hollywood production company Halcyon Studios – but had rejected the idea.
Her spokesman also denied that she ever planned to “monetise” the late Queen’s pets.
“[Ferguson] never progressed any discussions with Halcyon Studios, which were engineered by others, and withdrew from them of her own accord,” her spokesman said.
“She listens to TV proposals all the time but that doesn’t mean she is going to go through with them.
“If she had briefly seemed enthusiastic, that is just who Sarah is. Sarah never had any intention of monetising the corgis.
“She had been looking at doing a TV show about dogs for many years, long before she had the corgis and long before she was introduced to Halcyon Studios.
“She owns other types of dogs also. Any resulting show would never have been about the corgis alone.”