Sarah Ferguson sought solace at the world’s priciest wellness center amid fallout from her association with Jeffrey Epstein, the Daily Mail uncovers.
The 66-year-old former Duchess of York escaped the UK as she and her former spouse found themselves ensnared in the expanding Epstein scandal, which reached a peak with his arrest on Thursday.
As Prince Andrew was frequently spotted around Windsor and later at the Sandringham estate, Ferguson was notably absent from public view since her brief attendance at her granddaughter Athena’s christening at St James’s Palace on December 12.
This absence fueled widespread curiosity about her whereabouts, with the Daily Mail now confirming that she has been residing at a well-known Swiss retreat.
Ferguson discreetly retreated to the esteemed Paracelsus Recovery Clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, a facility known for its £13,000-a-day price tag, over a month ago.
A Swiss insider revealed to the Daily Mail, “Sarah departed for Zurich just after Christmas and remained there until the end of January.”
‘She always feels at home at Paracelsus, and knows she’ll get love and attention there, as well as expert health treatment when she’s feeling at her most vulnerable.’
The lakeside clinic offers several different month-long recovery programmes for ultra-wealthy clients. Individuals will have access to 15 medical experts, as well as a chauffeur and a private chef.
Fergie was last pictured being driven out of Royal Lodge on September 25 last year
Meanwhile, on September 16, she attended the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral with Andrew
Fergie secretly took refuge in the world-renowned £13,000-a-day Paracelsus Recovery Clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, (pictured) over a month ago
Another friend in Switzerland told the Daily Mail Ms Ferguson – a regular Paracelsus client – was said to have been ‘absolutely crushed’ by the email exchanges being publicly released.
The friend said: ‘Sarah has built up a strong relationship with Paracelsus, so it was the obvious place for her to get away from everything.’
Following the prolonged stay at the clinic, thought to have lasted several weeks, the globe-trotting former royal is subsequently thought to have spent time in both the French Alps and the United Arab Emirates.
Following the release of millions of the so-called Epstein files by the United States’ Justice Department, Ms Ferguson’s entangled relationship with the financier became clear.
Emails revealed that the former duchess and her beleaguered ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, had kept up their close friendship with the paedophile even after he was first convicted of procuring a minor for prostiution.
Embarrassing emails showed her begging Epstein to help pay off her mounting debts, even asking him to employ her as his house assistant as she ‘desperately’ needed cash – despite knowing he was still under house arrest in Florida for child prostitution.
In another email, she issued a grovelling apology for publicly denouncing him, claiming it had only been to protect her career as a children’s author, telling him he had been a ‘steadfast, generous and supreme friend’.
The most damning evidence, however, revealed that she took her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to have lunch with Epstein five days after his release.
It is perhaps unsurprising then that Ms Ferguson took to Paracelsus, which has been described as a ‘sanctuary where individuals can receive the highest standard of care, free of judgement’, according to its founder, Jan Gerber.
The lakeside clinic offers several different month-long recovery programmes for ultra-wealthy clients. Pictured: The £13,000-a-day Paracelsus Recovery Clinic
Individuals will have access to 15 medical experts, as well as a chauffeur and a private chef. Pictured: The Paracelsus Recovery Clinic
The former duchess has previously visited the clinic and was involved in its promotional work last year. Pictured: The Paracelsus Recovery Clinic
The former duchess has previously visited the clinic and was involved in its promotional work last year where she appeared in a social media video with Mr Gerber.
Throughout the conversation, she describes how the traumatic experiences surrounding her childhood and being in the public eye, combined with her cancer diagnosis, led her to seek mental health support.
She went on to allege that she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while at the clinic.
Following the conversation in June, she wrote on Facebook: ‘I recently spent time at Paracelsus Recovery in Zurich, a clinic known for its discreet, bespoke care for those facing complex mental health and addiction challenges, to learn more.
‘What I found was not only a centre of clinical excellence, but a place of deep humanity.’
She later added while speaking with the Daily Telegraph: ‘I am not embarrassed to reveal the clinic offered me a sanctuary, renowned as it is for its bespoke, cutting-edge treatment for those grappling with mental health and addiction issues – particularly those whose struggles are often hidden behind the facade of a public role.’
Paracelsus treatment is ‘one client at a time’, as a team of at least 15 experts, including doctors, therapists and nutritionists, ‘create a space where you can feel safe, understood and fully supported’.
The clinic specialises in the treatment of a number of conditions, including ‘addiction, burnout, depression, anxiety and trauma’ and is widely considered the most expensive wellness clinic in the world.
It charges around £110,000 for a three-day ‘comprehensive check-up’ or £350,000 for a one-month residential programme, which is fully customised.
‘Celebrities, oligarchs, and royalty who stay here are given top-tier treatment and access to the best addiction treatment providers anywhere,’ the clinic boasts on its website.
‘Clients stay in a penthouse with lake views and have access to concierge and limousine services as well as a personal chef, butler, and an on-site therapist.’
The most damning evidence revealed that Fergie took her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to have lunch with Epstein five days after his release (pictured together in 2017)
Andrew is pictured leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk shortly after 7pm on Thursday
The costly nature of the clinic, however, begs the question of how Ms Ferguson, who over the years has suffered from various money woes, could pay for her stay.
The former duchess last week openly told friends in the UAE, where she is currently residing: ‘I need to get back to work. I need money.’
Yet the fact that Ms Ferguson appears in an endorsement on the Paracelsus website – published just days ago – where she said her stay showed her ‘mental health knows no boundaries’, suggests the visit could have been free.
Fergie has also repeatedly promoted the clinic on her own social media pages, such as Facebook and Instagram.
She added: ‘It affects individuals across all walks of life, and it is imperative that we continue to break down the barriers of stigma and silence.
‘As a society, we need to foster an environment where seeking help is seen as a strength, not a weakness.’
Since her stay, Fergie has been spending time in the UAE, and, according to royal watchers, linking up with her daughter Princess Eugenie, 35, who was in Qatar for the Art Basel fair.
She is said to be lying low in Doha, Qatar, as she continues to ‘get her head together’ and plot a comeback.
She is understood to be already scouting around for a new PR team to represent her as she plans her return to the UK, however, some friends are sceptical she would be able to restart her life here.
Royal author Andrew Lownie, who wrote a damning book on the scandal-hit couple, believes that multi-millionaires in Dubai and the surrounding countries of Bahrain and Qatar will probably be bankrolling Fergie already.
He said: ‘In Britain, neither Sarah nor Andrew will be socially accepted again, whatever they try to do or wherever they go. But in the Middle East, no one will care about what they have got up to.
‘There are people there – royalty, politicians and business types – whom Sarah can quite happily sponge off and who will be happy to bankroll both of them.
‘These types of people in the Middle East simply couldn’t care less what Sarah has done. And even if she doesn’t have her title of the Duchess of York anymore, she will still be seen as royalty and treated as such – and she knows it.’
Paracelsus Recover in Zurich has been approached for comment.
Sarah Ferguson has also been approached for comment.
