Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have reportedly visited their mother, Sarah Ferguson, at her £10,000-a-month rental in the Home Counties, although claims suggest they are avoiding being photographed with her in public.
The King’s nieces are said to be wary of being drawn into further controversy following the former Duchess of York’s return to Britain after travelling around Europe amid the fallout from the Epstein Files.
Ferguson, 67, is understood to be living in a six-bedroom property within a gated Home Counties development. She reportedly moved there after being forced to leave Royal Lodge, where she had lived alongside her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Royal commentator Phil Dampier told Hello! magazine that Beatrice, 38, and Eugenie, 36, had both visited their mother at the new property within the past few weeks.
“I don’t think they want to be seen with her in public at the moment, and she probably understands that it may not be wise either,” he said. “But privately, they are keeping in contact and trying to offer their support.”
Dampier also suggested that both sisters, whose family has recently welcomed daughter Adelaide, may now be reconsidering the public causes and projects they choose to support.
He questioned whether their role as a united family “tripod” had come to an end, hinting that Ferguson’s relationship with her daughters may have changed under the pressure of recent events.
The claims come as questions continue over Ferguson’s links to charities, after a plaque marking her former association with Great Ormond Street Hospital was reportedly removed.
Beatrice and Eugenie have reportedly visited Sarah Ferguson at her £10,000-a-month Home Counties rental, but are said to be avoiding public appearances with her
For many years, a grey slate plaque bearing gold lettering stood outside a special hostel at Great Ormond Street Hospital. It commemorated Ferguson, then the Duchess of York, opening the parents’ accommodation, known as “Home from Home”, in 1990.
The plaque is now reportedly gone, leaving only its former outline on the Georgian brickwork and two holes where it had been attached.
Neither Ferguson nor the charity operating the hostel responded to a request for comment from Our News Outlet at the time.
The former duchess faced renewed scrutiny last year after The Mail on Sunday published emails that it said shed new light on the extent of her relationship with the late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex offences.
Ferguson had publicly distanced herself from Epstein after his 2008 conviction for abusing a teenage girl. However, the emails reportedly showed her privately describing him as a “supreme friend” and apologising to him after criticising his conduct.
Following the publication of those messages and other correspondence, the King removed titles from Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and ordered them to leave Royal Lodge, the grace-and-favour residence in Windsor Great Park that they had shared.
Ferguson subsequently lost patronage roles with a number of organisations, including Julia’s House children’s hospice, Prevent Breast Cancer, the British Heart Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals.
Last month, a spokesperson for Ferguson rejected reports that she was close to securing a multimillion-pound agreement for a tell-all book about the Royal Family.
Sarah Ferguson is believed to be renting a £10,000-a-month, six-bedroom home in a gated Home Counties community after leaving Royal Lodge
The spokesperson said Ferguson was focused on rebuilding her public image and hoped to regain public acceptance, but insisted that she had no plans to publish a revealing memoir.
The statement followed a report in The Sun claiming that a detailed chapter plan for such a book had already been prepared. The alleged outline was said to cover several senior royal figures and sensitive subjects, including Andrew, King Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Jeffrey Epstein.
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But Sarah denied the report in a rare statement.
Fergie has spent seven months living abroad and has been spotted across Europe, including in Switzerland and Austria, as she kept a low profile over the Epstein controversy.
During this time, she was spotted at a £2,000-a-night spa in Austria and at a Swiss Alpine chalet in Verbier owned by her late former lover Paddy McNally.
Fergie’s return to British soil comes hot on the heels of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved back to the UK with their young family after six years in California.
Earlier this week, Eugenie shared an adorable video of her husband Jack Brooksbank cradling their newborn daughter as she celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary.
She gave royal fans a rare glimpse into family life as she paid a touching tribute to her husband of eight years, describing him as the ‘best Dada’ to their three children.
In the heartwarming clip posted to Instagram, Jack, 40, can be seen gently holding and rocking baby Adelaide, who was born in Portugal in August.
Princess Eugenie recently shared an adorable video of her husband Jack Brooksbank cradling their newborn daughter as she celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary
Princess Beatrice and Edo Mapelli Mozzi made a rare public outing together as they joined Zara Tindall and the Duchess of Edinburgh for the Cornbury House Horse Trials last month
The proud father appears to be soothing his daughter by massaging her head, with Eugenie revealing the sweet conversation taking place between the pair.
She captioned the post: ‘Happy 8 years married my love.
‘What you can’t hear in this video is Jack asking our daughter if she likes her head being massaged that way… so thoughtful, caring, and best Dada there is to our 3. Couldn’t have wished for a better partner.’
Meanwhile, Beatrice and her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi made a rare public outing last month, when they joined Zara Tindall and the Duchess of Edinburgh for the Cornbury House Horse Trials.
Beatrice – who has kept a relatively low profile amid the ongoing fallout over Andrew and Sarah’s controversial ties to the late paedophile financier Epstein – put on an affectionate display with her husband.
The event marked the first time Beatrice has been seen publicly since she attended the funeral of her mother’s ex-boyfriend Paddy McNally last month.
The late Formula One advertising mogul reportedly left Sarah Ferguson ‘an allowance’ following his death at the age of 88 in July.
Mr McNally was buried at St James’ Church in Sevenhampton, Wiltshire, on August 14, but it is not known whether the former duchess of York was in attendance alongside her 38-year-old daughter.
He leaves behind an estimated £600million fortune, built on the sale of his hospitality business Allsport Management for £262million in 2006.
Mr McNally and Ms Ferguson had a three-year affair that ended in 1985 but the tycoon supported the former duchess – who was 22 years his junior – for years.
While it is not known how close Princess Beatrice would have been with McNally, she and her sister Eugenie enjoyed many family holidays at his properties in their childhood.
