In the wake of the most recent round of revelations about their past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have faced a mounting list of consequences.
Both voluntarily relinquished their royal titles as Duke and Duchess of York in early October, but, in the face of continued backlash and criticism, King Charles ultimately stripped Andrew of his prince title and pushed for the former's couple's eviction from Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion in Windsor they've shared for more than 20 years.
While early reports suggested that the former Duke and Duchess of York would be moved into separate, smaller royal residences in Windsor (the consensus seemed to be that Andrew was headed for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's former Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, and that Ferguson was in talks to take over Adelaide Cottage following the Wales family's move to their forever home, Forest Lodge), plans changed significantly.
Sarah Ferguson at the NYU Africa House in New York City in April 2010.
Now, neither disgraced royal is expected to continue living in housing that receives taxpayer funding. Andrew is set to move into one of the King's privately-owned homes on his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, but Ferguson's next step is less clear. While there have been rumors that she could move into a small residence on the property of her oldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, at least one royal expert says she could be headed across the pond.
Speaking to Palace Confidential's Jo Elvin about possible next steps for Ferguson—including the potential public interest a third memoir from the former royal—the Daily Mail's Editor-at-Large and monarchy specialist Richard Kay said that a long-held nickname of Ferguson's could be a clue about where she'll put down roots after leaving Royal Lodge.
"I think there would be enough curious people not just here but around the world. And she always had a lot of fans in the United States," Kay said (per the Mirror). "We used to call her the Duchess of New York because of the amount of time she spent on the east coast and they were very forgiving."
Sarah Ferguson arriving for an appearance on Good Morning America in New York City in January 2006.
If Ferguson's fans on the east coast still have a forgiving attitude toward her, New York could be a very attractive option for the former duchess, who has seen several professional setbacks as a result of the scandal, including the cancellation of a planned children's book and being banished from her former work with multiple charities.
"They gave her the opportunity, it was there that she became an ambassador for Weight Watchers and it's where she, sort of, on previous occasions, got her life back together again," Kay said of the way east coast Americans embraced Ferguson in the past.
Kay quickly added, however, that he doubts Ferguson would be treated like the "Duchess of New York" now.
"I feel this time it's too late and too much has happened," he said.