Sarah Ferguson's Whereabouts Remain a Mystery as Beatrice and Eugenie Keep Their Palace Homes amid Andrew's Arrest

Janine HenniFri, March 13, 2026 at 4:07 PM UTC

2

(Left) Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew at the Duchess of Kent's funeral on Sept. 16, 2025; (Right) Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at The Anti Slavery Collective's inaugural Winter Gala on Nov. 29, 2023Credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty; Dave Benett/Getty -

Sarah Ferguson has not been seen publicly since December 2025 and is believed to be staying abroad, as questions swirl about where the former Duchess of York will live when she returns to the U.K.

Her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, still retain homes within royal palaces in London through private rental arrangements with King Charles

Ferguson’s ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, deepening the fallout for the York family

Sarah Ferguson's whereabouts remain unknown following the arrest of her ex-husband, the former Prince Andrew, even as her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, retain their palace homes — raising questions about where the former Duchess of York will live when she returns to the U.K.

Ferguson, 66, has not been seen in public since December 2025, when she attended the christening of her granddaughter, Princess Beatrice’s now-1-year-old daughter Athena, and is believed to be abroad as her ex-husband’s dramatic fall from grace takes another turn. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, also 66, was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office and as of late January, PEOPLE understood that the former Duchess of York planned to spend time overseas as she mulled her next moves.

Ferguson has reportedly spent time at wellness centers in Switzerland and Ireland in recent months. The Daily Mail previously reported that she checked into Paracelsus Recovery, a Swiss rehabilitation clinic, from just after Christmas until the end of January. In February, the outlet reported that she jetted to Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa, a remote wellness retreat in Donegal, Ireland, returning to the coast she previously praised as a refuge in a 2024 TikTok.

While both Andrew and Ferguson have been forced out of their longtime home at Royal Lodge — with Andrew now living on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk and Ferguson believed to have been house hunting in Windsor — their daughters still hold the keys to royal residences of their own.

Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice attend a National Service of Thanksgiving as part of the 90th birthday celebrations for The Queen at St Paul's Cathedral on June 10, 2016.Credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, are not full-time working royals and pursue private careers, but they retain homes at royal palaces in London. Tech executive Beatrice has an apartment at St. James’s Palace, while Eugenie, an art gallery director, has Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace.

The royal residences serve as second homes for the princesses, who are primarily based elsewhere. Andrew is widely reported to have pushed for his daughters to retain the properties, which they rent through a private arrangement with King Charles.

"The [rental] deal was made with their father as he wanted them to have a foothold in the royal palaces," a source told The Times in the U.K. about the arrangement.

The Times further reported that while Andrew "was initially responsible for covering his daughters’ rent, it is not clear if they are now responsible for covering their own costs." The costs of the rent for each residence also remain unclear.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in London on Sept. 19, 2022Credit: Justin Goff Photos/Getty

PEOPLE previously reported that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's titles and positions were unaffected when Andrew announced he was surrendering his royal titles on Oct. 17, 2025. A family friend also told PEOPLE in a recent cover story that the sisters are hanging on tight to their royal rank.

"They want to hold on to their royal status. It’s their identity," the family friend said.

Advertisement

King Charles officially stripped Andrew's royal status in late October 2025, sparking questions about his daughters' future in the royal fold. The King, 77, made the move amid renewed scrutiny of Andrew's ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, which set Andrew's step back from royal life in motion in 2019. He has continuously denied any wrongdoing regarding their relationship.

The late Queen Elizabeth later stripped her second son of his military titles and patronages in January 2022, after a judge rejected Andrew's attempt to have Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed.

Three years later, Andrew was evicted from his own royal residence, Royal Lodge in Windsor, when his brother the King removed his royal status and the former Duke was arrested on Feb. 19 — his 66th birthday — as police investigate a claim that he shared confidential information with Epstein in his previous role as a U.K. trade envoy.

(Left) A man steps out of an umarked car at the home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Feb. 19, 2026 in Sandringham, Norfolk; (Right) Prince Andrew leaves after attending the Easter Matins service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 20, 2025.Credit: KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/POOL/AFP via Getty; Peter Nicholls/Getty

Correspondence between Andrew's ex-wife Ferguson and Epstein was also unveiled in the Jan. 30 drop of Epstein files from the U.S. Department of Justice. Being named in the documents does not denote wrongdoing, but emails between Ferguson and Epstein shed new light on the apparent depth of friendship between them. Unearthed emails suggested that former Duchess of York discussed going out to lunch with him and her daughters after his release from a Florida prison in 2009, where he served 13 months for soliciting a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution, and called him "the brother I have always wished for" in a follow-up note, among other correspondence.

Ferguson's path forward now remains uncertain. While she has previously bounced back from scandals, often recovering through media appearances, book tours and carefully framed interviews, a friend recently told PEOPLE that this moment is particularly sobering.

Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie at a wedding on Dec. 20, 2012.Credit: David Hartley/Shutterstock

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

"This has really hit her," a friend says of Ferguson.

Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, adds that this time, the former Duchess of York, "will find it very hard to come back."

"She always thinks she can bounce back," a friend says of Ferguson. "But this isn’t something that can blow over."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”