Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Considering “Ditching U.K.” Amid Scandal

As the fallout continues over Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced royals are looking ahead to their future—and it might not be in the U.K. In light of damaging new allegations, Prince Andrew announced he was giving up his Duke of York title and other honors while Sarah Ferguson dropped the Duchess of York title—a change that’s already been reflected on their social media pages as well as the royal family’s website.

As public pressure now mounts for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferugson to leave their longtime home, Royal Lodge, a royal expert says it’s likely the couple is making plans to leave Britain all together.

Controversy over Prince Andrew’s alleged connection to Epstein has plagued the royal family in recent years, leading King Charles’s younger brother to step back from public-facing duties even before the latest developments. However, the release of a tell-all memoir from one of Andrew’s accusers as well as new allegations led Prince Andrew to surrender his title in an announcement shared by Buckingham Palace on October 17. Prince Andrew’s coat of arms was also removed from St. George’s Chapel, a significant symbol that the Palace is distancing themselves as the move is typically only reserved for traitors.

Now, new reports suggest that Prince Andrew may be getting ready to leave his Royal Lodge residence, his home of 25 years, despite having a lease that lasts until 2078. The royal, who lives in the 30-bedroom Windsor mansion with his ex-wife, has been digging his heels in for years despite public calls and financial pressure to evacuate the home from King Charles.

Despite having a “cast iron” lease, The Telegraph reported that Buckingham Palace is “cranking up” pressure with “advanced” conversation about Prince Andrew evacuating the premises.

Andrew Lownie, author of a biography, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, about the former couple, told Hello! that it’s likely that the couple will try to lay low and “under the radar” if they choose to leave Royal Lodge, per The Mirror.

Noting that Sarah Ferguson recently sold her London property in Belgravia earlier this year, Lownie said that he believes that the former Duchess of York will move to Switzerland where the family once owned a Verbier chalet to escape the scandal. Meanwhile, Andrew may follow suit by leaving the U.K., especially when nephew Prince William becomes king. Lownie shared, “Probably he’s being encouraged to go to his palace in Abu Dhabi or to take up a Swiss nationality.”

However, Lownie emphasized that leaving Royal Lodge is ultimately Prince Andrew’s decision, thanks to his “ironclad” lease. “He has this ironclad lease as long as he maintains the terms of that lease,” he said on Hello!’s A Right Royal Podcast. “The only way I think he can go is to voluntarily go. The optics look terrible for a non-working royal in a 30-room mansion.”