‘No sign’ of Sarah Ferguson as she 'lays low' at Royal Lodge after Epstein email scandal
The Duchess of York has been lying low at Royal Lodge since her affectionate email to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was leaked last month
The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson is reportedly keeping a low profile at Royal Lodge following the scandal caused by her leaked email to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, which has plunged the York family into fresh controversy.
The Duchess of York has seen several charities cutting ties with her after details of an email she sent in 2011 were made public, seemingly contradicting her previous claims of having cut off contact with the multi-millionaire sex offender.
The duchess's biographer Ingrid Seward, who has known Sarah and her family since the 1980s, doesn't dismiss the possibility of a comeback, but warns it won't be straightforward.
Speaking to the i newspaper, she said: "(Fergie) has come back so many times. This time she is probably going to have to do what she's never done before and lie low for quite a while."
The duchess is usually a common sight around Windsor Great Park, where she lives in the controverisal £30million Royal Lodge with Prince Andrew, despite their divorce in 1996.
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Under normal circumstances, she might have been seen walking the late Queen Elizabeth's corgis or embarking on one of her frequent shopping excursions, but royal expert Richard Palmer reports that there has been "no sign of her" since the embarrassing letter surfaced weeks ago.
It remains uncertain when Fergie might reappear. With Christmas just around the corner, royal commentator Jennie Bond has stated that it's "inconceivable" that the Yorks could join the rest of the Royal Family for the traditional festive church service at Sandringham.
Reports suggest Sarah's former husband Andrew has maintained his regular schedule, despite fresh accusations emerging in the US this week regarding his connections with convicted sex offender Epstein.
Flight records from Epstein's aircraft released this weekend reveal that the duke travelled with Epstein on his private plane for several days in Florida during May 2000, whilst he was supposedly conducting an official taxpayer-funded visit to support Britain's premier child protection charity, the NSPCC.
Andrew, 65, has not yet responded to the latest allegations, though he has consistently refuted any participation in or awareness of Epstein's criminal activities.
The pair's two daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, have also been conspicuously absent from the Royal Lodge.
The siblings typically visit their parents regularly but haven't been spotted near Windsor since the publication of the email in which their mother described sex offender Epstein as "a supreme friend."
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams observed: "The York brand has been toxic for some time and this may well get even worse. Both will obviously be devastated by the fact that their parents are both in disgrace."
Beatrice, particularly, is understood to have been eager to strengthen the diminished royal workforce during a period when both King Charles and Kate Middleton have been absent due to serious health concerns.
The King has reportedly been attempting to persuade his younger brother to move into Frogmore Cottage, the four-bedroom house within the security perimeter of the Windsor Castle estate, previously inhabited by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
However, Andrew has steadfastly declined to leave the much more grandiose and prestigious Royal Lodge.
Despite no longer being able to rely on financial support from the King, Royal biographers believe that Charles' younger brother has inherited sufficient funds from the late Queen and other family members to remain in Royal Lodge. They also suggest that income from business deals will enable him to stay in the house.
The Duke and Duchess of York are also facing a renewed effort to strip them of their titles.
Rachael Maskell, the independent MP for York Central, is keen to revive her private members' bill which would grant either the King or a grand committee of peers and MPs the power to revoke a hereditary title from those who tarnish its reputation.
