A Royal Expert Says It May Be in the King’s Best Interest to Keep Sarah Ferguson "in the Royal Fold"

The latest bit of drama in the fallout from Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's latest scandal involving their ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has revolved largely around their living arrangements.

Following massive public outcry, Andrew is reportedly in talks about vacating Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion on Windsor Great Park he's called home since 2003. This move would also affect Ferguson, who has lived at Royal Lodge with Andrew, even though the couple divorced in 1996.

Reports about the couple's plans to move out of Royal Lodge have suggested that they're negotiating for separate residences after the move, with Andrew going to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's former Windsor residence, Frogmore Cottage, and Ferguson reportedly eyeing Prince William and Kate Middleton's longtime home, Adelaide Cottage, after the Wales family moves into Forest Lodge later this year.

While some reports have suggested that Andrew and Ferguson are "brazenly" lobbying for two residences after leaving Royal Lodge, other sources have insisted that such reports are "misrepresentative of the truth" and suggesting that the Palace initially brought up the offer of separate residences before the current scandal reignited talks of Andrew moving, with one source telling the Sun that “Frogmore Cottage and Adelaide Cottage were on the table in May."

Although some royal experts have come down hard on the issue, saying firmly that King Charles should refuse to give the former Duke and Duchess of York separate residences, Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English wrote in a recent column that it could be "prudent" for the King to keep Ferguson "in the royal fold," even if that means providing her with use of a royal residence.

English's take comes amid reports that Ferguson—who released her first memoir, My Story, in 1996 and Finding Sarah in 2011—has "held 'exploratory talks' with a string of publishers who are keen for her to pen her first memoir in nearly fifteen years," according to a report from the Sun.

In spite of "fears Andy could 'go rogue'" if evicted from Royal Lodge, a source told the Sun that this isn't a worry for the royal family.

"Andrew won’t write a book like Spare," the Sun's source said. "He has promised The King."

Ferguson, on the other hand, does not appear to have made any such promises—and has reportedly been "on the brink of a breakdown" amid the fallout from the scandal—which could be a factor in the King's decision-making process on the matter.

"The King is a kind man but his patience has been pushed to the limit," a royal source told English. "However, the last thing he also wants is another Spare [the vitriolic memoir brought out by his own son, Prince Harry, in 2023]."