Amid the continuing scandal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson's previous ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the former couple have faced a growing number of consequences, including the loss of their royal tiles and eviction from Royal Lodge, the 30-room royal residence in Windsor where they both lived, even following their divorce.
When it first became clear that the former Duke and Duchess of York would have to vacate the sprawling Windsor mansion they called home for the last 20 years, rumors swirled suggesting that the pair would move into separate, smaller royal residences in Windsor, with speculation that Andrew would move into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's former Windsor residence, Frogmore Cottage, and that Ferguson might move into Adelaide Cottage following the Wales family's move to Forest Lodge, which happened earlier this month.
However, moving into another royal residence that was maintained in any way by taxpayer money no longer seemed appropriate for the former Duke and Duchess of York. Now, Andrew will move into one of the King's privately-owned homes on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, but Ferguson's housing plans have been less clear—and a new report suggests that Ferguson may turn to her oldest daughter for new accommodations.
In a new column for the Daily Mail, Harriet Kean revealed that Ferguson is considering moving into a converted cattle shed on Princess Beatrice's £3.5 million Cotswolds estate after her eviction from Royal Lodge in Windsor Park.
Sarah Ferguson is seen with daughters Princess Beatrice (left) and Princess Eugenie (right) in 2023.
Although it sounds spartan based on its former life as a cattle shed, Beatrice recently renovated the space, which was converted into a one-bedroom "granny annex" by the estate's previous owners. The royal's neighbors reportedly revealed that the small living space, which is separated from the six-bedroom main house by a courtyard, was recently "gutted and refitted with new doors and windows."
"The granny annex seems to be ready to move into now," Kean's source said. "It'd be perfect for Fergie, wouldn't it? The stonework has all been repointed, the gutters renovated, the woodwork nicely painted. It has its own entrance."
The source says that, even if Ferguson isn't moving into Beatrice's "granny annex," there have been plenty of hints that someone will be moving in soon.
"Just today, the road was blocked for a delivery of propane gas bottles for the annex. That coincided with the first cold snap of winter," the source added. "So, clearly, the arrival of someone is imminent. It may not look like much of a palace on the outside, but I bet it's stunning inside."