Princess Beatrice could soon have her mother, Sarah Ferguson,
living at the end of her garden with reports suggesting a move to
the Cotswolds is imminent for the former duchess.
Sarah Ferguson has lived at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate
for the last two decades, sharing the thirty room royal residence
with her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
However, both are now set to move within weeks after Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor surrendered the lease on the property after
renewed controversy around his friendship with convicted sex
offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
The King’s brother is expected to relocate to a cottage on the
Sandringham estate, provided for him by Charles III.
Princess Beatrice could soon
have her mother, Sarah Ferguson, in her back garden
(Picture by Stephen Lock / i-Images)
The Norfolk estate is owned privately by King Charles rather
than by the Crown.
The new home of Sarah Ferguson remains a mystery but the latest
reports, in the Daily Mail, are that her elder daughter, Princess
Beatrice, is preparing the granny flat at the Cotswolds home she
shares with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and their
family.
Beatrice and Edoardo live in a six bedroom home in the heart of
the Cotswolds with their children. They have two daughters together
while Edoardo has a son from a previous relationship. Sienna
Mapelli Mozzi, who is 4, and her little sister, Athena, 10 months,
could soon have their grandmother on hand all the time to help look
after them and their stepbrother, Wolfie.
Sarah’s other daughter, Princess Eugenie, currently divides her
time between England and Portugal along with her husband, Jack
Brooksbank, and their sons, August, 4, and Ernest, 2.
It’s not yet known whether Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, will
take their families to Sandringham for Christmas where King Charles
and Queen Camilla will host the royals for the traditional festive
celebrations.
Neither Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor nor Sarah Ferguson will be at
the royal Christmas. In 2024, Eugenie wasn’t present but Beatrice
did attend after having to cancel her plans to go to Italy with her
family at the last minute after doctors advised her not to travel
in the final stages of her pregnancy with Athena.
It’s also not know whether either princess will join the Royal
Family at the Christmas celebration being held at Westminster Abbey
in the coming days by the Princess of Wales. Both Beatrice and
Eugenie have attended in the past.
Princess Beatrice and
Princess Eugenie’s Christmas plans aren’t yet known
(i-Images/ Pool)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor announced in October that he would no
longer use the title of Duke of York which he had been given by
Queen Elizabeth II in July 1986 when he married Sarah Ferguson.
However, just weeks later, Buckingham Palace announced that King
Charles would make decisive moves to permanently take away the
title.
Within days, The King had written to the Lord Chancellor asking
for the title of Duke of York to be removed from the Roll of the
Peerage. Andrew also lost his titles of Earl of Inverness and Baron
Killyleagh.
King Charles also issued Letters Patent removing the HRH and
Prince that his brother had held from the moment of his birth in
1960.
Buckingham Palace announced that the second son of Queen
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip would henceforth be known as Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor.
Since then, Andrew has only been seen briefly in public, while
out riding at Windsor. It’s understood his move from Royal Lodge
will take place within weeks.
It’s not know what will happen to the property which was once
the home of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Andrew had lived at
it on a peppercorn rent since 2003 and that arrangement caused
further anger.
Sarah Ferguson has made no public comment on her future since
making it known that she had decided to give up her courtesy title.
The removal of Andrew’s title from the Roll of Peerage means that
her courtesy title, given to her when she divorced, is no longer
available for use.
The titles of Beatrice and Eugenie are unchanged as they were
HRH and Princess because of the 1917 Letters Patent issued by King
George V which bestow that honour on all children of a Monarch and
all their grandchildren in the male line, that is all the children
of a Monarch’s sons.
It’s thought that these rules will be changed in the near future
in line with equality – at the moment, the children of a Monarch’s
daughters are not made HRH and Prince or Princess.