Was Sarah Ferguson living with former Prince Andrew? What we know about his residence arrangements

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has sent fresh shockwaves through Britain’s royal orbit and cast renewed scrutiny on his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.

According to multiple reports, Andrew was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office following what police described as a “thorough assessment” of allegations connected to the ongoing fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files. Thames Valley Police confirmed that a 66-year-old man had been taken into custody and that searches were underway at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. Authorities did not formally name him, in keeping with U.K. practice, but the arrest was widely understood to refer to the former royal.

Andrew, who has long denied wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said he regrets the friendship, remains in police custody as the investigation continues.

While the legal focus now rests squarely on him, the repercussions are likely to extend to Ferguson, better known as Fergie, whose own public standing has been fragile for years.

Do Sarah Ferguson and Andrew still live together?

The former Duchess of York, 66, has kept a notably low profile in recent months. Her last confirmed public appearance was in September 2025, when she was photographed leaving Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Despite divorcing in 1996, Andrew and Ferguson maintained one of the most unusual post-divorce arrangements in modern royal history. The pair continued living together at Royal Lodge, their longtime residence in Windsor Great Park. Fergie herself described she and Andrew as “the happiest divorced couple in the world”, maintaining a close friendship while raising Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

But that chapter appears to have closed. Andrew relocated to Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate earlier this month. Ferguson, meanwhile, has reportedly spent time abroad, including in the French Alps and the United Arab Emirates, where her daughter, Princess Eugenie, has professional commitments. The timing now raises questions about whether those moves were strategic.

Financial pressures and reputation fallout

Ferguson’s financial history has long been intertwined with controversy. Emails made public in recent years showed her seeking financial assistance from Epstein, even after his prior conviction for sex offenses. In one message, she apologized for publicly distancing herself from him, writing that she valued him as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.”

The disclosures were deeply embarrassing and further damaged her already precarious standing in Britain. Though she has continued to work as an author and media personality, income streams have narrowed and public invitations dwindled. Friends have previously suggested she has privately expressed a need to “get back to work” and rebuild financial independence.

Royal biographer Andrew Lownie has argued that her remaining opportunities may lie outside the U.K., particularly in parts of the Middle East where royal associations still carry prestige and scrutiny over past scandals may be less intense.

If Andrew’s arrest prolongs or intensifies public backlash, Ferguson may face renewed pressure to formally disentangle her public identity from his.

A family under strain

The scandal’s emotional toll may be most acute within the family. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have spent years navigating the reputational fallout tied to their father’s association with Epstein. Andrew’s arrest marks an unprecedented escalation, one that adds legal jeopardy to an already fraught narrative.

The path forward is unclear now for Ferguson. Once a fixture of royal life and charity circuits, she has spent decades oscillating between comeback attempts and controversy. Now, as legal proceedings unfold and headlines intensify, the central question may not be whether she can return to public life in Britain, but whether she will try to build one elsewhere.

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