By Katherine Tinsley
11:06am PST, Jan 30, 2026
_
An insider told
Closer that Sarah Ferguson is looking to begin dating again, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor views her decision as a "green light" to pursue his own romantic relationships.
_
"He's even talking about how he wants to get back to dating," the insider continued. "The royals will be relieved to see him go, but they'll also be worrying about what he might get up to once he's off and operating completely on his own terms. Instead of lying low and accepting some consequences like they'd hoped, he's doubling down on the same arrogance that landed him here in the first place."
_
Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's divorce was finalized in 1996, but the duo continued to live together in Royal Lodge for years. However, after being evicted from the mansion due to the former duke's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and sexual assault allegations, the pair's dynamic is expected to change.
"It's like having the golden handcuffs taken off, or at least that's how she's trying to spin it," the source said, referring to Ferguson's newfound independence.
_
"Now that she's no longer hitching her wagon to Andrew, it's opened up a lot of choices to her, or at least she's convinced it has," the source continued. "She's still full of vigour, and even after this huge fall from grace, she's got this unshakable will to keep going."
_
Sarah Ferguson previously said she and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are "divorced to each other, not from each other," but leaving Royal Lodge could help her pursue romantic suitors.
"She says there's no reason she can't throw herself back into the dating game and land a rich man to make the rest of her days a whole lot easier," the insider said. "She's always had a certain charm that attracts powerful and wealthy men, and in her view, she's not lost that."
