They once described themselves as the "happiest divorced couple in the world", but these days, the friendship between Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson appears to have become much more strained.
Until last year, the former couple were still living together at Royal Lodge in Windsor, and would even have afternoon tea together daily. Last October, however, the bubble finally burst when new revelations emerged about their friendships with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew was stripped of his remaining titles, including "Prince" and "Duke of York", and was exiled to the Sandringham Estate, while Fergie was to be known as plain Sarah Ferguson, with her future living arrangements unconfirmed.
This weekend, the Daily Mail claimed that the couple, who share daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, are still on "speaking terms" but "not talking that much".
Where is Sarah Ferguson now?
The same article alleged that Andrew's ex-wife is currently looking "dishevelled" and is on a "secret sofa-surfing world tour", relying on her high-profile friends to house her.
The former Duchess of York has not been seen in public since December 12 for her granddaughter Athena's christening. An insider says she is nervous and has three mobile phones that she swaps around to avoid being tracked.
© Karwai Tang/WireImageHer current whereabouts are unknown, with The Sun's Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson telling HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast: "The thing with Sarah is if she wanted to be seen, she would be."
It was reported last month that Beatrice and Eugenie are "refusing" to let their mother live with them, while Hollywood icon Priscilla Presley denied reports that she offered her a place in her LA home.
© WireImageSince January's release of Epstein documents, Sarah has kept well under the radar but is believed to have visited wellness retreats in Northern Ireland and Switzerland, and spent time in the French Alps and the UAE.
A fresh blow for Sarah Ferguson
Last month, Sarah Ferguson was officially stripped of her Freedom of the City of York honour following a unanimous vote by the city's councillors. Sarah, 66, was bestowed the honour in 1987, a year after her marriage to the then-Prince Andrew, who lost the title in 2022.
© GettyThe honour recognises notable service by residents, distinguished people, and royalty. Other recipients include Sir Winston Churchill and actress Dame Judi Dench.
During the debate, Liberal Democrat councillor Darryl Smalley said: "We now know, following the release of thousands of documents, that Sarah Ferguson too had a close friendship with Epstein, which continued well beyond his conviction.
"We don't expect recipients of York's highest honour to be saints. We simply do not want them to be best friends of convicted paedophiles. We stand with victims. We stand for the rule of the rule of law. We stand for decency."
In the emails, Fergie had told financier Epstein to "just marry me" and even took her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, to visit him after he was released from jail.
