Sarah Ferguson 'relying on wealthy friends' after leaving Austrian resort

Ben McCaffrey
Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:19:59 +0000

Sarah Ferguson has called on her rich friends to help her out after fleeing her luxurious Austrian chalet, it has been claimed.

The ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was spotted at a £2,000-a-night apartment at the Mayrlife wellness spa in Altaussee earlier this month, her first public sighting since 2025.

But sources now indicate she has left the Alpine resort and is relying on wealthy acquaintances to help with accommodation, after her lakeside refuge in Altaussee was revealed.

The 66-year-old former royal had been sheltering from the fallout of the Epstein scandal. Ms Ferguson has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

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She had last been spotted publicly at St James's Palace on December 12, attending the christening of her youngest granddaughter, Athena Mapelli Mozzi.

"She just wants a door that doesn't open for strangers," a source told the Daily Mail. "That's all it is. She wants to breathe."

Her interactions with the outside world were kept to an absolute minimum throughout her stay - the only exception being a visit from a hairdresser on March 24.

The walking trails, lakeside areas and clay tennis courts at the resort went unused by the former duchess.

Sarah is understood to have kept in close contact with her daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, who also remain out of the royal fold.

Both are said to remain concerned over the state of their mother's mental health, as she remains shacked up and isolated.

The funding of her Mayrlife stay remains unexplained, though she first visited the spa in 2023 while recovering from breast cancer and melanoma.

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Some say that Sarah is reliant on rich friends, who are still willing to show their support for the former royal.

"Sarah has good friends," a source told the Mail. "People who know her well are happy to help her. She won’t be left with nowhere to go."

The source added that Sarah "of course" regretted her relationship with convicted paedophile Epstein.

Her next stay is unknown, but what it is believed is that Austria is no longer an option.

In March, a US lawmaker made a direct plea to Ms Ferguson for her to testify about her "close personal" relationship with the disgraced billionaire.

Congressman Suhas Subramanyam urged her to cooperate with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s investigation into Epstein's sex trafficking network.

"Documentation of your relationship with Mr Epstein includes an email from 'Sarah' referring to Mr Epstein as 'a legend' — after Mr Epstein’s 2008 conviction — and writing: 'I really don’t have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness.. I am at your service. Just marry me'," the letter read.

Congressman Subramanyam added it was "clear" Ms Ferguson had "social and business ties" to Epstein, and she has "knowledge of information that can assist our investigation".

Although no mention in the files suggests any wrongdoing, previously unseen emails now show the ex-Duchess praising Epstein as "the brother I have always wished for".

At present, she has offered no response to the congressional summons.

Ms Ferguson said in 2011 regarding her links to Jeffrey Epstein: "I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf.

"I am just so contrite I cannot say. Whenever I can, I will repay the money and have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again."