LONDON: Sarah Ferguson is back in the headlines after new details emerged about her private and public life, though the former Duchess of York remains largely out of sight.
At 66, Ferguson has moved through several roles over the decades, royal, author, mother, charity campaigner. Lately she has kept a low profile. Her exit from royal duties, charity work, and later controversies have kept her name in the media, but her public appearances have thinned.
In a 2002 interview with The Observer, she spoke candidly while in Sierra Leone for her charity “Children in Crisis”. Sarah Ferguson called the 1990s the hardest period of her life. Within a short span she lost her close friend Caroline Cotterill, her mother Susan Barrantes, and Princess Diana.
“Am I going to waste my life just eating myself up, or am I going to decide to wake up?” she said at the time. She described those deaths as a “wake-up call” that changed her direction. Charity work became what she called “therapy”. Cotterill’s death, she said, was the biggest blow.
Sarah Ferguson was also the US face of Weight Watchers for years, reportedly paid about £1 million annually. During that time she raised Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as a single mother after her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew.
Her public presence has narrowed sharply since. She was last photographed in April at an expensive wellness spa in Austria. Reports put the weekly cost at around £14,000. Wearing a white cape and blue coat, she was seen getting out of a car. It was her first sighting in 213 days. She has not been seen publicly since.
Meanwhile her daughters are stepping back into royal life. Beatrice and Eugenie have attended several events in recent months, including Peter Phillips’ wedding on June 6 with other senior royals.
October brought a turning point for Sarah Ferguson. After Prince Andrew was stripped of his remaining royal titles, she lost “Duchess of York” as well and was told to leave Royal Lodge in Windsor. Charities including Julia’s House ended ties with her earlier. Her own group, Sarah’s Trust, announced closure in February.
New US government files released in January added scrutiny. They showed Ferguson stayed in contact with Jeffrey Epstein after publicly condemning him. The documents do not accuse her of any crime.
Since the disclosures, reports say Sarah Ferguson has withdrawn further and is keeping away from public life.
No statement has come from her or her team.