Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are in “a fragile state”, according to an insider, as their exit from Royal Lodge looms.
The pair are set to leave the royal residence in the coming weeks after Andrew was served notice on his Grade II 30-room mansion in October last year.
Last week, it was revealed that the former Duke of York had visited his new Sandringham home to measure up curtains.
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year, due to his links with Jeffrey Epstein.
The insider told the Mail: ‘She’s (Sarah Ferguson) is on a knife edge and bursting out crying several times a day. She’s really not sure what the future holds.”
Friends close to Sarah Ferguson have claimed she is bursting into tears on a daily basis
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Andrew is said to be “devastated” at his estrangement from Princess Eugenie after she distanced herself from her father.
A separate source said: “There is no contact at all, nothing. She has completely cut him off.”
Work on his eventual home at Marsh Farm is well underway, with workmen seen around the clock renovating Andrew’s new residence.
Until the renovation works are complete, it is believed he will occupy a smaller house on the Sandringham estate.
Security enhancements are a priority, with workers installing two-metre wooden fencing and surveillance cameras around the site.
Workers have been at Marsh Farm throughout the course of January preparing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s reported new home
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PAThe property sits approximately two miles from Sandringham’s main residence, and authorities extended the estate’s drone prohibition zone in December to encompass Marsh Farm.
“He’ll probably have to live in Sandringham House until Marsh Farm is finished,” said a source to the Mail.
Multiple members of Andrew’s staff are being paid off, rather than moving with the disgraced former royal to his new lodgings.
The source continued: “They obviously don’t want to move to Norfolk, and as most of them are nearing retirement age, they’ve basically been made redundant on generous terms.
“I suspect that Andrew will have more of a skeleton staff when he eventually moves into Marsh Farm, as it’s not realistic to employ so many people to look after one person on their own.”
Andrew’s new home at Marsh Farm does come with some risks, as it was revealed that it has been flagged as part of a flooding risk.
Marsh Farm is on a flood plain and residents have been advised to sign up for flood alerts in case local measures fail to alleviate the risks.
Residents nearby to Marsh Farm have been advised to sign up for flood alerts
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PAA flood risk assessment from last year for Wolferton Barns, which is just metres from Marsh Farm, stated: “The Environment Agency operates a flood warning system to enable householders to protect life or act to manage the effect of flooding on property.
“Failure of Wolferton Pumping Station may occur due to long-term mechanical breakdown or power supply being disrupted.
“If conditions put properties and land at risk of flooding, emergency action would be taken using temporary pumping equipment.”
Sources have expressed hope that Andrew will complete his move to Sandringham before Easter, with some suggesting the temporary housing offer could see him leave Windsor ahead of his 66th birthday on February 19.