In a major snub, it has been reported Buckingham Palace is set to refuse Sarah Ferguson’s request for Adelaide Cottage. Aides representing the King are understood to have suggested options for Fergie as part of multiple proposals to end Prince Andrew lease at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Prince Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge in 2003 and lives at the 30-room mansion with his ex-wife. According to the Telegraph, a palace source has denied that Adelaide Cottage, which the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children are about to vacate, was part of negotiations.
William and Kate are set to move out of Adelaide Cottage and move into Forest Lodge, a historic Georgian mansion in a private section of Windsor Great Park, which will be their primary residence for decades to come.
It is further reported that Buckingham Palace did not comment on the suggestion that aides had proposed or discussed options for Ms Ferguson’s living arrangements.
No proposals put forward by the former Duke and Duchess of York have been accepted or fully “progressed” yet, although the palace has “requested” that Prince Andrew vacate Royal Lodge as soon as possible.
Representatives of Buckingham Palace and the prince are known to be in talks over his future at Royal Lodge, from which he cannot legally be evicted under the terms of his “cast-iron” lease with the Crown Estate.
It comes as on October 17, Andrew announced he was relinquishing his Duke of York title after renewed scrutiny over his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the monarch’s younger brother said, “The continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family.”
The statement continued: “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Andrew stepped down from public life in 2019 over his association with Epstein, despite his denials of wrongdoing.
His latest announcement came days after the posthumous memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre was published.
The 41-year-old, who died in April, alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with Andrew, 65, when she was 17. Emails later emerged that allegedly showed Andrew remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously stated.
