Sarah Ferguson is back in the UK – but her life here will likely look very different from before.
The former Duchess of York, 66, is reportedly renting a six-bedroom property in the Home Counties after she was told to leave her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, last year.
Speaking to HELLO!, her spokesperson said: "At the moment she is focused on the now and has no big plans at this stage other than health, family and rebuilding her life in a new home."
HELLO! understands Sarah is keeping busy while "relocating and quietly sorting through 40 years of boxes".
© UK Press via Getty ImagesThe ex-Duchess is yet to confirm her plans for Christmas.
In 2023, Sarah and Andrew made a surprise appearance at the royal family's Christmas Day celebrations in Sandringham – her first time joining the walk in over 30 years.
However, the former couple did not attend in 2024 or 2025 following growing public scrutiny.
Sarah's return to public life
Sarah was pictured in public last week for the first time in six months, alongside her two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
She arrived at St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge to attend a memorial service for her ex-boyfriend, motor racing tycoon Paddy McNally, in pictures published by the Daily Mail.
She was also accompanied by Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi; Eugenie's husband, Jack Brooksbank; and Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne.
© Getty ImagesWearing a blue lace blazer, Sarah looked directly at the camera as she arrived at the church – the first time she'd been seen since April, when she was photographed at a ski resort in the Austrian Alps.
Before that, her most recent public appearance was at the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral in September 2025, though she was photographed in the back of a car while attending her granddaughter Athena's christening in December.
Sarah and Paddy dated in the 1980s but broke up when he failed to propose. However, they remained close friends, and the former Duchess reportedly stayed at his Verbier chalet in the months before his death.
Inside the 'worst year' of Sarah's life
Sarah turned 67 on October 15 after one of her most difficult years yet.
In the 12 months prior, she was dropped by multiple charities over her friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after it was revealed she'd called him her "supreme friend", despite denouncing him publicly.
Earlier this month, a plaque at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London, which commemorated her opening a facility there in 1990, was removed.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesShe faced another difficult blow when Paddy died in July at the age of 88.
"I think this probably has been one of the worst years of her life," royal expert Phil Dampier told HELLO! previously.
"She’s lost her house, she’s lost her best friend, she's a social outcast, and she's not seeing as much of her children and grandchildren as she might.
"She’s still grieving for Paddy, who was her closest friend for 40 or 50 years. She certainly always went back to him when she needed financial help or a shoulder to cry on, and she always remained in contact with him."
Sarah and Andrew have five grandchildren: Beatrice and Edoardo share Sienna, four, and Athena, one; while Eugenie and Jack have August, five, Ernest, two, and baby Adelaide.
