Sarah Ferguson Wants "to Bounce Back" From Epstein Scandal

Now that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has moved out of Royal Lodge to the Sandringham estate, Sarah Ferguson has been left to find her own way for the first time in two decades. Despite PR experts advising against planning any sort of comeback, it seems the former Duchess of York may be setting her sights on reinvention and "a new PR team."

Ferguson's current whereabouts have been widely debated in recent days, but on February 11, the Daily Mail reported that Fergie has been spending time "with friends in the French Alps before moving on to the United Arab Emirates." Princess Eugenie has been visiting the Middle East for her job at art gallery Hauser and Wirth, and the former duchess is said to have spent time with her daughter in Qatar this week as well.

The media outlet reported that Ferguson "is understood to be already scouting around for a new PR team to represent her as she plans her return to the UK." A source told the newspaper that Fergie "has openly told friends: 'I need to get back to work. I need money.'"

Sarah Ferguson walking behind Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor along a fence — Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are pictured at Easter services at St George's Chapel in 2025.

Along with money, another thing Ferguson apparently needs is space from her ex-husband, Andrew. The Daily Mail reported that the ex-duchess has stated to friends, "When I come back I am going to have to put some distance between myself and Andrew."

Both Fergie and Andrew featured heavily in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice at the end of January. Along with photos of Andrew kneeling over a young woman on the ground and numerous emails involving the disgraced royal, deeply personal messages that Ferguson sent Epstein were released.

These include conversations about Princess Eugenie's dating life and comments about the Royal Family. In one email, she wrote to Epstein: "Just as I always said, no woman has ever left the Royal Family with her head, and the [sic] cannot behead me, therefore they will discredit me. Totally to obliteration. I have no words."

Sarah Ferugson wearing a green dress and pressing her palms together watching tennis — Sarah Ferguson is pictured at a Wimbledon match in 2025.

The Daily Mail reported that friends have claimed Sarah is "kidding herself" by thinking there's a possibility she can stage a comeback in the public eye. "The public is disgusted by what they have read," a source told the paper. "And how would she pay a new PR team to rescue her reputation? She is said to be looking to bounce back, in typical Fergie style. I'm just not sure the public will buy it."

As Renae Smith, founder of PR and branding agency The Atticism, told the Express, reinvention only works "when the public is open to it." She continued, "Right now, they are not."

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.