Sarah Ferguson could be moving to the “granny annexe” on Princess Beatrice’s Cotswolds estate as the former royal weighs up her move away from Royal Lodge.
The disgraced royal is believed to be heading to Portugal when she is evicted from the Grade II mansion, but another option for Fergie is her daughter’s former cattle shed, which has been converted into accommodation.
The renovation has been finished at Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s property, with neighbours revealing the one-bedroom annexe has recently been gutted and refitted with new windows and doors.
A source told The Mail: “The granny annexe seems to be ready to move into now. It’d be perfect for Fergie, wouldn’t it?
A source told The Mail that ‘the granny annexe seems to be ready to move into now’
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GETTY“The stonework has all been repointed, the gutters renovated, the woodwork nicely painted. It has its own entrance.
“Just today, the road was blocked for a delivery of propane gas bottles for the annexe. That coincided with the first cold snap of winter.
“So, clearly, the arrival of someone is imminent. It may not look like much of a palace on the outside, but I bet it’s stunning inside.”
As Fergie weighs up her options, Princess Eugenie’s life in Portugal could play a direct role in shaping the former royal’s living arrangements, GB News has been told.
Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, have lived partly in Portugal since 2022 with their sons August, four, and Ernest, two, sharing their time between a villa in the coastal region of Comporta and Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace.
Their family’s established base overseas is now being seen as a potentially significant factor as Fergie prepares to make independent accommodation plans.
Leading property expert, Robin Edwards, told GB News that Portugal’s privacy, climate and relative anonymity make it one of the most realistic overseas options for Ms Ferguson.
He noted the presence of Princess Eugenie and her family could offer a level of stability and support that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere.
A leading property expert suggested Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank’s presence in Portugal could support Fergie’s move abroad
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INSTAGRAM / PRINCESS EUGENIE
Mr Edwards, a property buying agent at Curetons, said: “Portugal could also be another option, particularly as Princess Eugenie, her husband Jack and their children currently live there and have split their time between a luxury villa in Comporta and their home at Ivy Cottage in Kensington Palace since 2022.”
He added: “The warmer climate, as well as the lower profile and degree of anonymity that Portugal offers, could appeal to Sarah.”
Speaking about additional possibilities, he said: “Switzerland would be a plausible choice, given Andrew and Fergie’s previous links to Verbier, where they co-owned a luxury ski chalet together, and the region’s discretion toward wealthy exiles.”
GB News understands that Sarah will make her own living arrangements, separating her future housing position from Andrew’s for the first time in decades.
‘The warmer climate, as well as the lower profile and degree of anonymity that Portugal offers, could appeal to Sarah’
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PAIt comes as the former Duchess of York is considering a tell-all interview as she could reveal what she knew of Andrew’s friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
American broadcasters are believed to be willing to pay six-figure sums for a blockbuster interview with Fergie.
An insider told The Sun: “Sarah and her team have had offers from all over the world for a sit-down. So she’s thinking things over very carefully.
“She and her team know a televised interview would be make or break for her in terms of salvaging her reputation.
“It would also give her the chance to spell out the fact she knew nothing about what Epstein and his associates were doing in terms of abusing girls.”