Sarah Ferguson is hiding out in the Austrian Alps — and she's not coming back anytime soon
Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, has reportedly been keeping a low profile at an Austrian Alpine resort since departing the UK in early 2026. Her retreat to the Alps followed the eviction of her and ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from Royal Lodge, his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and the release of Epstein-related files naming her.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- After leaving her residency at the Royal Lodge, Sarah Ferguson has been staying at an Austrian ski resort.
- Her move followed public scrutiny about her links with Jeffrey Epstein.
- Newly released Epstein documents revealed that Sarah Ferguson stayed in contact with Epstein in the years following his first conviction.
- Sarah Ferguson and her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, no longer share a home.
Sarah Ferguson's profile summary
Full name | Sarah Margaret Ferguson (Formerly Duchess of York) |
Common name | Sarah Ferguson |
Nickname | Fergie |
Gender | Female |
Date of birth | 15 October 1959 |
Age | 66 years as of July 2026 |
Zodiac sign | Libra |
Place of birth | London, United Kingdom |
Nationality | British |
Ethnicity | White |
Height in centimetres | 173 |
Height in feet | 5'8: |
Body measurements | 37"24.5"34.5" |
Hair colour | Red |
Eye colour | Blue |
Mother | Susan Barrantes née Wright |
Father | Major Ronald Ferguson |
Siblings | 4 |
Marital status | Divorced |
Former spouse | Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten-Windsor (Formerly Prince Andrew) |
Children | 2 |
Elementary school | Daneshill School |
High school education | Hurst Lodge School |
Higher education | Queen's Secretarial College |
Profession | Author, public speaker, television personality, entrepreneur |
Net worth | $2 million |
Social media |
Who is Sarah Ferguson?
Sarah Margaret Ferguson, formerly known as the Duchess of York, was married to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles III's younger brother. The royal couple got married on 23 July 1986 at Westminster Cathedral.
In attendance at the wedding were Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, among other royals.
Source: Original
Fergie and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor welcomed their eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, on 8 August 1988 at the Portland Hospital in London, United Kingdom. Their second child, Princess Eugenie, was born on 23 March 1990 at the same hospital.
Until 2025, Sarah Ferguson held and used the title Duchess of York, a title she continued using for years even after divorcing Andrew in 1996. However, she lost the title Her Royal Highness (HRH) after the divorce.
During her marriage to Andrew, Fergie performed extensive official duties on behalf of the Crown. After the divorce, she began her career as an author, television personality, and businesswoman while remaining adjacent to royal life.
Source: Getty Images
Despite being divorced for nearly 30 years, Ferguson and Andrew continued living together at the 30-room Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate until January 2026.
According to a 2025 biography, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, her romantic interests after the divorce. These included Tiger Woods, Kevin Costner, Piers Morgan, George Clooney, and John F. Kennedy Jr.
What happened to Sarah Ferguson?
Between 2011 and 2019, several events regarding Fergie's ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's connection to Jeffrey Epstein. In February 2026, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The arrest came after allegations that he shared confidential trade information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011. In October 2025, King Charles III officially stripped him of his birth title of Prince, Duke of York, and royal patronages; this caused Fergie to lose her title of Duchess of York.
Source: Facebook
In addition to losing her title, Sarah Ferguson, who had been living with him in the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor, was expected to find a new home. Andrew, whose brother ranks among the richest kings in the world, was relocated from Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on 3 February 2026.
How was Sarah Ferguson involved with Epstein?
On 30 January 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice released over 3 million pages of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigative materials under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. These materials included email correspondence involving Sarah Ferguson. Here is a summary of the emails and their contents as per Sky News.
- April 2006: Ferguson arranges to meet Jeffrey Epstein in Palm Beach during a layover.
- August 2009: Sarah Ferguson emailed Epstein, thanking him for his kindness, praising him for being like a brother, and acknowledging business opportunities for her company, Mother Army.
- October 2009: Fergie urgently emailed Epstein requesting a loan of £20,000 for rent.
- July 2009: Email correspondence from Fergie and her aide requesting Jeffrey Epstein to cover and upgrade commercial flights for her and her daughters during their visit to the United States.
- January 2010: An account called Sarah, believed to be Ferguson, called Epstein a legend and acknowledged her love and gratitude for him, adding, 'I am at your service. Just marry me.'
- June 2010: She emailed Epstein expressing love and gratitude for his generosity, playfully suggesting he marry her.
- September 2010: Another account by the name Ferg, believed to be Fergie, asked Epstein when he was going to employ her, to which he agreed to visit London to talk about it.
- March 2011: Ferguson apologised for accepting £15,000 from Epstein; Epstein's publicist drafted a strategy to use Ferguson to retract her statements and clear his name.
- September 2011: Ferguson congratulated Epstein in an email on the birth of an alleged baby boy after he was released from jail.
- 2011: Ferguson referred to Epstein as her supreme friend.
Source: Twitter
According to the Telegraph UK, Sarah Ferguson visited the disgraced financier at least two times during and after his incarceration. The visits were recorded on 4 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. In one visit, the former Duchess of York visited Epstein with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie while he was under house arrest in July 2009. In an email sent to Ghislain Maxwell, Epstein referenced the visit, saying,
Ferg and the two girls came.
The release led to intense scrutiny into the former Duchess and pressure from lawmakers to testify regarding her and Andrew's connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Soon after, Ferguson's public appearances stopped entirely.
Her location became unclear in April 2026, when she was reportedly traced to a private ski chalet in the Austrian Alps, according to The US Sun. She had not been seen in public for 213 days before resurfacing in April 2026, still declining to respond publicly to lawmakers' calls for her testimony.
Source: Facebook
In February 2025, the British children's book author shut down some of her businesses, raising questions about her absence from the public. A source told The US Sun,
The Epstein files have hit like a sledgehammer, and Sarah has not wanted to be seen by anyone. She’s been effectively in hiding and can’t face up to what’s been happening.
They added,
She’s been laying false breadcrumbs to stop people (from) following her trail, and very few people were allowed in on the secret... Sarah lost her home when she was evicted from Royal Lodge and has nowhere else to go. She’s not invited to go to Sandringham to live with Andrew, and even her two daughters have kept their distance.
Most recently (July 2026), People Magazine reported that she has stayed in contact with her daughters, ahead of the arrival of a sixth grandson. A source told the publication,
Sarah is keeping a low profile. She’s staying in contact with her daughters and is awaiting the news of Eugenie’s baby.
FAQs
- Where is Sarah Ferguson living now? The former Duchess of York is reported to be residing in a private retreat in the Austrian Alps.
- Why isn't Sarah Ferguson going to live with Andrew anymore? She opted to live independently, while her former husband was whisked to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
- Was Sarah Ferguson unhappy in her marriage to Andrew? The former Duchess of York was reportedly deeply unhappy in the marriage due to Andrew's long absences and public scrutiny.
- Who is Sarah Ferguson married to now? Fergie has never remarried since her 1996 divorce.
- Who is Sarah Ferguson's partner? At the time of this writing, she does not have a publicly confirmed partner.
- What was Sarah Ferguson diagnosed with? In 2023, Fergie was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, and in the following year, she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma (skin cancer).
- What is happening to Sarah Ferguson now? Ferguson is presently keeping a low public profile.
- What did Queen Elizabeth say to Fergie before she died? Before her passing in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II warmly advised Sarah to be herself and trust that she was enough.
- What happened to Sarah Ferguson's engagement ring? The current whereabouts of Fergie's floral-cluster 3-carat ruby ring surrounded by 10 pear-cut diamonds on a yellow-gold band remain unknown.
Sarah Ferguson's quiet retreat abroad followed an intense period of media and public scrutiny. The public revelation of her close connections and involvement with Jeffrey Epstein marked one of the lowest points of her life in and around the royal spotlight. At the time of this writing, details of her next chapter remain unknown.
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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
