Sarah Ferguson has been spotted for the first time in 213 days in Austria after court documents revealed she had a close relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein
Sarah Ferguson has been spotted for the first time in 213 days in Austria after the fallout over her links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Photos published by The Sun show the former Duchess of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife, appearing sombre at a luxury Alpine ski resort.
Ferguson, 66, was stripped of her Duchess of York title in October last year when Mountbatten-Windsor relinquished his Duke of York title over his links with Epstein. She had not officially been seen in public for 213 days since being spotted on Wednesday, according to The Sun, which reported she was seen near her chalet in an Austrian ski village that is not being named.
It comes after documents released by the US Department of Justice on January 30 revealed that Ferguson was in contact with Epstein while he was in prison for soliciting sex from a minor in 2009 – even planning to meet him at his home five days after his release. As a reminder, being named in the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
A source reportedly told the newspaper: “Fergie has been keeping an incredibly low profile while high up in the Alps. She hasn’t been seen for a long time and has clearly wanted to keep it that way.
“Her choice of outfit when she popped out was obviously carefully chosen to help her avoid being recognised. The area is absolutely beautiful and it’s very quiet most of the time, so it’s the perfect place for a high-profile figure such as her to lie low when the heat is on.”
The last official engagement Ferguson attended was the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral on September 16.
Last month, Ferguson was stripped of her Freedom of the City of York title after councillors voted unanimously to remove the honour over her links to Epstein. The removal comes following fresh revelations about the former duchess’s connections to Epstein.
Speaking 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.”
He added: “York will have hopefully have etched out our city’s connections to both Andrew and Sarah.
“We must wipe the slate clean, draw a line. Remember our duty to victims of sexual abuse, and move forward with our highest honour reserved for those that truly deserve the privilege. I urge all councillors to vote for the motion.”
