It appears Sarah Ferguson has a come back plan to return to the public eye and help keep the reputation of her daughters, Beatrice and EugenieGeorgia Burns Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer and Julia Banim
13:12, 27 Mar 2026
Sarah Ferguson is still nowhere to be seen, but behind the scenes, she’s reportedly cooking up a wild comeback plan(Image: Julia Reinhart/Getty Images)
Never one to back down, Sarah Ferguson appears to be plotting a dramatic comeback behind the scenes. With the once proud House of York in disarray after revelations in the Epstein Files shook both the Palace and her family, Sarah has been labeled the ‘most famous missing person in the UK’.
She reportedly went underground after it emerged she had secretly remained friends with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, despite publicly disowning him. Somehow, the ex-duchess even managed to avoid being photographed while moving out of Royal Lodge – the home she shared with her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – before King Charles ordered them to leave.
According to reports, before the eviction, she would quietly slip in and out of the 30-room mansion to collect her belongings, sometimes lying face down in the back of a Range Rover to avoid being spotted.
And when Andrew was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office, not a word came from his once staunchly loyal ex-wife. All signs suggest the tide may be turning for a pair who previously dubbed themselves the ‘happiest divorced couple in the world’.
Sarah and Andrew were once dubbed the ‘happiest divorced couple in the world'(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Since vanishing from the public eye, whispers about Sarah’s whereabouts have circulated – from luxury wellness retreats to stops in the UAE. Yet perhaps more revealing is the idea that Sarah is doing everything possible to protect herself and her daughters, even if it means leaving Andrew to face the fallout.
Restoring her reputation seems a daunting task, especially with ‘humiliating’ emails emails linking her to Jeffrey Epstein etched into the minds of the public. But Sarah is no stranger to controversy and has reinvented herself time and time again.
Stripped of their royal titles, Andrew and Sarah have become outcasts from the glittering social circles they once moved in. While Andrew has been exiled to the remote Sandringham estate, the former duchess will not be following him and is reportedly set to establish a new home of her own, away from the royal family, the Mirror reports.
Behind the scenes, it is said that Sarah has been working tirelessly to carve out a future for herself and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, in what one PR expert has called a “calculated survival strategy”.
Book deal hopes
For Sarah, she and her girls come first(Image: Getty)
Last month, reports suggested that Ferguson might follow in the footsteps of her nephew, Prince Harry, by writing a candid memoir. However, it has been claimed that some US publishers have already turned down the reported £1.5 million book deal. Speaking to the Sunday Express, a source said: “She ended up with a string of rejections and zero response in a few cases. It seems no one is remotely interested in being seen to be enabling her to cash in on the Epstein scandal that has torn her family apart and ruined her ex-husband.”
Yet royal author Andrew Lownie, who penned a blistering expose of the Yorks last year, believes Ferguson is far from defeated. “I suspect a publisher will commission it and I suspect for lots of money, and I suspect she will give a big sit-down interview and make lots of money. People won’t believe it, but they will still buy it,” he said last month.
However, he added that the former Duchess of York is likely to do everything she can to protect her daughters from fallout. He noted: “If she does anything to really upset them [British Royal Family], then the daughters will lose their Christmas invitation to Sandringham, possibly their titles, etc., and that’s how they’re making their money now. Every time [a member of the York family] go to Sandringham, their value in the Middle East goes up.”
Reality TV and ‘cloned corgis’
While the royals may be accustomed to seeing palace insiders turn their lives into bestselling books, a move into reality TV could catch them off guard. In a strategy seemingly lifted from the Kardashian playbook, Sarah has reportedly been tipped to join The Traitors US, where she is being encouraged to embrace the role of the ‘villain’.
Speaking to the Mirror, Mitchell Jackson, a crisis PR strategist said: “With PR, you work backwards from the goal. What she needs now is a lifeline, financially and reputationally, and the only lifeline I see is The Traitors. That’s the only lifeline.”
He contined: “PR is poker, and she’s been dealt the villain card. She can’t play any other one. She should do it for free. It’s her only option.”
Meanwhile, a more unusual report claims that Sarah had explored the idea of cloning the late Queen Elizabeth’s cherished corgis, Sandy and Muick, for a reality show that would allow her to sell the royal replicas to “other dog lovers around the world”.
Ferguson took the late Queen’s corgis into her care after the monarch’s death(Image: Instagram/sarahferguson15)
It’s said the former duchess met with several TV companies in the US about the futuristic project, which Hollywood insiders have hailed as a “bold and controversial business venture.”
A source familiar with the reported discussions recently told the Mail on Sunday: “She was pushing to get back into TV and make some money. She came up with the idea of featuring the Queen’s corgis in a show. And that included the idea of breeding them. Bizarre as it sounds, the idea of cloning them was discussed.”
Although a spokesperson for Fergie has denied the claims, stating: “Sarah Ferguson never progressed any discussions with Halcyon Studios, which were engineered by others, and withdrew from them of her own accord. She listens to TV proposals all the time, but that doesn’t mean she is going to go through with them. If she had briefly seemed enthusiastic, that is just who Sarah is. Sarah never had any intention of monetising the corgis.”
But will Ferguson’s latest efforts to reinvent her image succeed against the odds? Or would this “media savvy” ex-duchess be better off following the royals’ mantra of ‘never explain, never complain?’
PR expert to the stars, Mayah Riaz, believes Ferguson is far smarter and more strategic than she is often given credit for. “What we’re seeing here looks far less like chaos and far more like a calculated survival strategy. Fergie has always been one of the more media-savvy royals, and right now she’s leaning into that. I don’t think the reported move towards reality TV and commercial projects is as outlandish as it sounds. It is actually a classic repositioning play.
“She, of course, cannot rely on the institution, so she is building her own platform. The idea of a tell-all book is where it becomes particularly sensitive. If she goes down the route of publicly criticising Prince Andrew, sure, it may offer short-term reputation relief, but it comes at a long-term cost. You don’t just distance yourself from scandal; you risk being seen as someone willing to monetise family, and that will stick.”
Whatever path Ferguson chooses, one priority remains clear – her beloved daughters, who are reportedly struggling deeply amid their parents’ scandal. While Sarah is believed to be doing everything she can to keep the sisters supportive, both Beatrice and Eugenie are said to be “extremely unhappy” with how the humiliating situation has played out.
Sarah and Andrew with their daughters in happier times, before the Epstein scandal unfolded(Image: Instagram)
A source recently told the Mirror: “They feel they have been left out in the cold. They aren’t being supported by Buckingham Palace and are certainly concerned they will lose their titles and privileges as a result of their parents’ conduct.”
With her daughters carrying the weight of the fallout from her and Andrew’s downfall, Ferguson now has to navigate this next delicate chapter carefully. But could she be making things more difficult by stepping fully into the spotlight?
Mayah says: “For Beatrice and Eugenie, this is arguably the most difficult position of all. They are caught between loyalty to their parents and the need to protect their own futures within, or adjacent to, the royal brand. I understand their frustration; it makes sense. In PR terms, they are facing reputational inheritance, without having control of the narrative.
“If Buckingham Palace is perceived to be stepping back, it creates a vacuum, and vacuums get filled quickly by speculation, media narratives, and sometimes poor decisions made under pressure. That is when families start going public in ways they later regret. The strongest move for all involved would be restraint and alignment behind the scenes.
“Right now, it feels like multiple strategies are being played out at once, and that is when messaging becomes muddled. Simply put, this is a family trying to separate survival from scandal, but doing so in full public view. And because of that, we will see that their every move becomes a headline.”
Hidden location
Sarah’s currently whereabouts has been kept private(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
While Eugenie and Beatrice remain devoted to their mother, it’s understood that Ferguson is not currently living with either of them, with Eugenie’s husband, Jack Brooksbank, reportedly refusing to let her move in, the Mail reports. A source explained: “The whole sordid affair has already brought them a great deal of unwarranted attention, and he won’t do anything to increase.”
With family ties in turmoil, she is reportedly seeking refuge with “good mates” who have kept her whereabouts strictly under wraps.
Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine wrote: “She is, when you think about it, the most famous missing person in the UK. And yet she hasn’t been photographed once, despite the best efforts of His Majesty’s Press. She wasn’t even spotted during her final flight from Royal Lodge. Those players on Celebrity Hunted could certainly learn a thing or two from her.
“What’s her secret? Simple: good mates. Someone as recognisable as Fergie doesn’t remain that well-hidden without some serious back-up, funds and transport — and the generosity of friends.”
And despite the seemingly overwhelming challenges she faces, there’s a sense that if anyone can recover from such a damaging scandal, it’s the former duchess. Ms Vine added: “Whatever else Sarah Ferguson may be, there is no doubt that she has always been a survivor, the kind of woman who picks herself up, dusts herself down and gets back on the horse.”