Sarah Ferguson is still nowhere to be seen, but behind the scenes, she’s reportedly cooking up a wild comeback plan(Image: PA)
Never one to back down, Sarah Ferguson is apparently plotting a mad comeback behind the scenes.
With the once proud House of York in tatters after revelations in the Epstein Files rocked the Palace and her family, Ferguson has been dubbed the ‘most famous missing person in the UK’. She quickly went to ground after it emerged that she’d secretly remained friends with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein despite publicly disowning him.
Somehow, the ex-duchess even managed to evade being photographed when moving out of Royal Lodge – the home she shared with her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten Windsor before King Charles booted them out. Reports suggest that before the eviction, she would secretly slink in and out of the 30-room mansion to collect her belongings by lying face down in the back of a Range Rover.
And when Andrew was arrested on supicion of misconduct in public office last month, not a peep was heard from his once staunchly loyal ex wife. Everything points to the tide turning for a duo who once called themselves the ‘happiest divorced couple in the world’.
Since her disappearance, there’s been plenty of whispers about Ferguson’s whereabouts – from lavish wellness retreats to the UAE. But perhaps even more telling is the suggestion that Sarah is doing everything in her power to save herself and her girls – even if it means throwing Andrew to the wolves.
It’s hard to imagine how Sarah could restore her reputation now that ‘humiliating’ emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein are seared into the minds of the public. But she’s no stranger to scandal and has reinvented herself many times before.
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The House of York is in tatters, with Fergie reportedly prepared to cut Andrew off for the sake of their girls(Image: Daily Mirror)
Stripped of their regal titles, Andrew and Sarah are now outcasts within the glittering social circles they once knew. Andrew has been exiled to the remote Sandringham estate, but the former duchess will not be following him and is now expected to find a new home of her own, away from the bosom of the royal family.
It’s claimed that, behind the scenes, Sarah has been busily trying to find a way forward for herself and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, in what one PR guru has described as a “calculated survival strategy”.
Book deal hopes
Last month, it was reported that Ferguson could follow in the footsteps of her nephew, Prince Harry, by penning a candid memoir. However, it has been claimed that some US publishers have already turned the reported £1.5million book deal down. A source told the Sunday Express: “She ended up with a string of rejections and zero response in a few cases. It seems no one is remotely interested in being seen to be enabling her to cash in on the Epstein scandal that has torn her family apart and ruined her ex-husband.”
But royal author Andrew Lownie, who wrote a blistering expose of the Yorks last year, believes Ferguson is not so easily defeated. “I suspect a publisher will commission it and I suspect for lots of money, and I suspect she will give a big sit-down interview and make lots of money. People won’t believe it, but they will still buy it,” he said last month.
However, he adds that the former Duchess of York will likely do everything in her power to keep her daughter’s out of it. He noted: “If she does anything to really upset them [British Royal Family], then the daughters will lose their Christmas invitation to Sandringham, possibly their titles, etc., and that’s how they’re making their money now. Every time [a member of the York family] go to Sandringham, their value in the Middle East goes up.”
Reality TV and ‘cloned corgis’
While the royals may be well used to seeing juicy bestsellers flying off the shelves from former palace inhabitants, it’s likely a turn towards reality TV may well take them by surprise. In a move seemingly ripped from the Kardashian guidebook, Sarah has reportedly been tipped to join The Traitors US, where she has been urged to take on the role of the ‘villain’.
Mitchell Jackson, a crisis PR strategist, told the Mirror: “With PR, you work backwards from the goal. What she needs now is a lifeline, financially and reputationally, and the only lifeline I see is The Traitors. That’s the only lifeline.” He added: “PR is poker, and she’s been dealt the villain card. She can’t play any other one. She should do it for free. It’s her only option.”
Meanwhile, an even more bizarre recent report suggests that Sarah had been in talks to clone the late Queen Elizabeth’s beloved corgis, Sandy and Muick, for a reality show that would see her sell these regal clones to “other dog lovers around the world“. It’s said that the then-duchess had met with various TV companies across the pond about this futuristic idea, praised by Hollywood big-wigs as a “bold and controversial business venture”.
Once a fairytale bride, Fergie must now embrace playing the ‘villain'(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A source close to the alleged negotiations recently told the Mail on Sunday: “She was pushing to get back into TV and make some money. She came up with the idea of featuring the Queen’s corgis in a show. And that included the idea of breeding them. Bizarre as it sounds, the idea of cloning them was discussed.”
However, a spokesperson for Fergie has hit back, saying: “Sarah Ferguson never progressed any discussions with Halcyon Studios, which were engineered by others, and withdrew from them of her own accord. 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.”
But will Ferguson’s latest plans to revamp her image prove triumphant against the odds? Or would this “media savvy” ex duchess do best to follow the royals’ mantra of ‘never explain, never complain?’
Ferguson took the late Queen’s corgis into her care after the monarch’s death
PR to the stars, Mayah Riaz, believes Ferguson is smarter and more strategic than many give her credit for. “What we’re seeing here looks far less like chaos and far more like a calculated survival strategy. Fergie has always been one of the more media-savvy royals, and right now she’s leaning into that. I don’t think the reported move towards reality TV and commercial projects is as outlandish as it sounds. It is actually a classic repositioning play.
“She, of course, cannot rely on the institution, so she is building her own platform. The idea of a tell-all book is where it becomes particularly sensitive. If she goes down the route of publicly criticising Prince Andrew, sure, it may offer short-term reputation relief, but it comes at a long-term cost. You don’t just distance yourself from scandal; you risk being seen as someone willing to monetise family, and that will stick.”
Whatever move Ferguson pursues, there is one very important aspect she bears in mind at all times – her treasured daughters, who are said to be seriously struggling amid their parents’ disgrace. While Sarah is likely desperately trying to keep the sisters on side, both Beatrice and Eugenie are said to be “extremely unhappy” with how the humiliating situation has unfolded.
A source recently told the Mirror: “They feel they have been left out in the cold. They aren’t being supported by Buckingham Palace and are certainly concerned they will lose their titles and privileges as a result of their parents’ conduct.”
Faced with her daughters bearing the shame brought about by her and Andrew’s downfall, Ferguson must now think carefully about how she goes about this next delicate chapter. But could she be making things worse by thrusting herself into the full beam of the spotlight?
For Sarah, she and her girls come first(Image: PA)
Mayah says: “For Beatrice and Eugenie, this is arguably the most difficult position of all. They are caught between loyalty to their parents and the need to protect their own futures within, or adjacent to, the royal brand. I understand their frustration; it makes sense. In PR terms, they are facing reputational inheritance, without having control of the narrative.
“If Buckingham Palace is perceived to be stepping back, it creates a vacuum, and vacuums get filled quickly by speculation, media narratives, and sometimes poor decisions made under pressure. That is when families start going public in ways they later regret. The strongest move for all involved would be restraint and alignment behind the scenes.
“Right now, it feels like multiple strategies are being played out at once, and that is when messaging becomes muddled. Simply put, this is a family trying to separate survival from scandal, but doing so in full public view. And because of that, we will see that their every move becomes a headline.”
Hidden location
While Eugenie and Beatrice remain loyal to their mother, it’s understood that Ferguson isn’t currently residing with either, with Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank, allegedly refusing to allow her to move in, the Mail reports. The source revealed: “The whole sordid affair has already brought them a great deal of unwarranted attention, and he won’t do anything to increase.”
With family dynamics in disarray, it’s believed she is instead seeking sanctuary with “good mates”, who have kept her mysterious location strictly hush hush. Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine wrote: “She is, when you think about it, the most famous missing person in the UK. And yet she hasn’t been photographed once, despite the best efforts of His Majesty’s Press. She wasn’t even spotted during her final flight from Royal Lodge. Those players on Celebrity Hunted could certainly learn a thing or two from her.
“What’s her secret? Simple: good mates. Someone as recognisable as Fergie doesn’t remain that well-hidden without some serious back-up, funds and transport — and the generosity of friends.”
And despite the seemingly insurmountable odds before her, there seems to be the sense that, if anyone can bounce back from such a significantly damaging crisis, it’s the former duchess. Ms Vine continued: “Whatever else Sarah Ferguson may be, there is no doubt that she has always been a survivor, the kind of woman who picks herself up, dusts herself down and gets back on the horse.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
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