By Molly Claire Goddard
8:24am PST, Jan 28, 2026
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According to royal writer
Chris Riches, Sarah Ferguson is keeping
Princess Beatrice and
Princess Eugenie out of her public downfall. "Now it seems Fergie has made her most sensible decision for months for the sake of her two daughters — not to live with them," he wrote for
Daily Express.
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After Sarah Ferguson's eviction from Royal Lodge due to her connection to Jeffrey Epstein, rumors swirled that the former Duchess of York would live with Princess Beatrice in the Cotswolds or with Princess Eugenie in Portugal. "Now Fergie has ruled both those ideas out, and hopefully for the right reasons — not because the idea of living in a granny flat or in Portugal filled her with boredom and dread," Chris Riches wrote. "Instead, it is believed that she is actively looking for her own private residence."
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The reported update on Sarah Ferguson will be positive — especially for Princess Beatrice. "That could end up being a huge relief for Beatrice, who, although no doubt loving her mother, does not need the stress of having her baggage join her and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at their country home," Chris Riches wrote.
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Both Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — who is reportedly moving to Marsh Farm on King Charles III's estate — were stripped of their titles and forced to leave their longtime home over their friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. "It seems hugely unfair that Beatrice and Eugenie — both mothers of two — should see their children and families dragged into the Epstein mess that their parents actively made," Chris Riches wrote. "These weren't the girls' choices or decisions, but their parents.'"
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson spent Christmas without Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, as they reportedly wanted them to be at Sandringham with the royal family. "They might have said, 'Oh, Papa, we want to be with you.' And he'd said, 'No, I want you to go there. That's what's going to make me happy,'" royal expert Ingrid Seward told
The Sun's Royal Exclusive show.
