Priscilla Presley has firmly refuted rumors suggesting that Sarah Ferguson has sought refuge with her amidst increasing scrutiny over the former Duchess of York’s associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
At 66, Ferguson has remained out of the public eye for some time, leading to rampant speculation about her whereabouts.
Despite a long-standing friendship with Ferguson, 80-year-old Priscilla asserted that she is not providing shelter to the Duchess at her expansive Los Angeles estate.
“This claim is completely unfounded,” a representative for Priscilla told People, dispelling rumors that Ferguson had taken up residence with the Presley family matriarch.
This denial comes in response to a March 4 article by Page Six, which suggested that Ferguson was staying with friends, including Priscilla, after becoming “effectively homeless” due to the repercussions of the Epstein scandal.
An insider recently claimed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former spouse has only a “few” associates remaining who are willing to maintain ties with her.
Fergie bonded with Priscilla thanks to her close friendship with her late daughter Lisa Marie Presley, who Sarah called ‘sissy’ – short for sister.
Reports have claimed Ferguson has been spotted everywhere from a Swiss spa to villas in the United Arab Emirates, in Portugal with daughter Princess Eugenie and at a retreat in Ireland.
Priscilla Presley has denied claims that Ferguson has been staying with her, with her spokesperson telling People the reports are ‘totally false’. She is pictured last week at the Elvis museum Memphis Mansion in Randers, Denmark
Sarah Ferguson has not commented on reports about her whereabouts as scrutiny grows over her past association with Jeffrey Epstein
Sarah Ferguson and her friend Lisa Marie Presley who died in 2023 aged 54. Fergie has said she was like a sister
Earlier this week, it was claimed Priscilla had offered her a place to stay out of ‘sympathy’ after the release of the latest batch of the Epstein Files in late January, according to Page Six in the US.
‘Everyone’s telling her [Fergie] that now’s not a good time,’ an insider said. ‘A lot of people actually really like her, but being associated with anyone associated with Epstein just isn’t wise right now.’
Priscilla has owned a large number of properties across the US over the years but her primary home is in Los Angeles.
Ferguson had supported Lisa Marie, who lived in England between 2010 and 2016, during difficult periods in her life before her tragic death in 2023 aged 54.
Fergie also spoke at a Graceland memorial event in Memphis, Tennessee, ten days after she passed away, quoting the late Queen Elizabeth II.
‘My late mother-in-law used to say that nothing [that] can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments, because grief is the price we pay for love. And how right she was,’ she told the mourners.
Priscilla has ‘not forgotten’ that kindness and is showing Fergie the same in the wake of the Epstein scandal, a source in the US claims, adding that the former duchess is now ‘effectively homeless’.
Priscilla is believed to have been a member of the Church of Scientology, joining in the late 1970s after the death of her musician ex-husband Elvis.
Lisa Marie broke away but in 2017, Priscilla’s spokesman said she was still a member.
Priscilla Presley, arrives at Sarah Ferguson’s 50th birthday held at the Lanesborough Hotel in London in 2010. She has denied rumors she offered Fergie a place to stay
An insider claimed to journalist Rob Shuter that while Fergie has not joined the church, she is ‘looking for guidance’ amid turmoil in her life.
‘When your life gets turned upside down, you start exploring anything that might help,’ the source claimed.
‘Right now she’s just listening. But Priscilla is definitely influencing her thinking. She’s looking for guidance and stability right now’.
The Daily Mail has asked Ferguson to comment.
An insider told the Daily Mail that Fergie only has a ‘few’ friends left and Priscilla would be one of them.
Asked whether Ferguson is in the US, the insider said if she was, she may be wary of staying too long amid calls for her to testify about her friendship with Epstein in America.
Fergie and Lisa Marie’s friendship was described by friends as not a fickle showbiz one – but a relationship built over more than 15 years born of deep trust and support.
‘They hit it off on all sorts of levels,’ a friend of the Duchess said in 2023. ‘She talks of them bonding like sisters.’
Elvis Presley with his wife Priscilla and their daughter Lisa-Marie, pictured in 1970
Both had seemingly enjoyed an active social life in the same circle, a friend explained, saying: ‘[Fergie] was part of a group of friends including Bob Geldof and his wife; and (guitarist) Jeff Beck, who sadly died, and his wife Sandra, through whom she met Lisa Marie.’
Ferguson revealed the depth of their bond in the hours after her friend’s sudden death on January 12, 2023, when she wrote on Instagram: ‘I say hello to you every day, and I love you, my Sissy, and I will continue to say hello to you every day.
‘You have been my devoted friend for many years, and I am here for your family to support and love them. I am deeply saddened, my Sissy, you are in my heart.’
Ferguson was honored to be asked to speak at Lisa Marie’s funeral, a friend said.
‘She didn’t hesitate. They allowed her to choose a piece, which she thought long and hard about, deciding that George Frost’s poem for his father, Sir David Frost, which includes the line, “It’s important to know that I have not gone, And I hope that, on you all, my light has shone” was very appropriate.’
Pressure is mounting on Ferguson to appear before the US congressional committee investigating Epstein, it emerged this week.
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam who sits on the House Oversight Committee probing the pedophile’s child sex trafficking ring told the Mail on Sunday: ‘It is clear from the files we have that Sarah Ferguson and Jeffrey Epstein had a close relationship.
‘She once called Epstein the “brother I always wished for” and Epstein provided her with financial assistance.
Sarah Ferguson speaks at the public memorial for Lisa Marie Presley on January 22, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. Presley, 54, the only child of American singer Elvis Presley, died in 2023
‘She should tell our committee what she knows about Epstein’s financial and sex trafficking enterprises.
‘If she has nothing to hide then this shouldn’t be a problem. No one, not even former royalty, is above the law.’
It is understood that a formal request to appear may be sent to Ferguson – who has not been seen in months – although legally she cannot be forced to testify.
Former President Bill Clinton and convicted madam Ghislaine Maxwell have already been hauled in front of the committee.
