Sarah Ferguson is set to return to Britain after a seven-month exile, it has been reported.
The 66-year-old is said to have plans to settle into a six-bedroom gated property in the Home Counties at a cost of £10,000 per month.
The former Duchess of York has not been seen in the UK since her eviction from Royal Lodge in Windsor earlier this year.
A source told The Sun: “She’s had her eyes on a return for some time but it takes time to find the right new house.”
Her homecoming is expected as early as Monday and she appears to be banking on the media frenzy surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s own return to overshadow her arrival.
“With everyone looking out for Harry and Meghan she thought she could slip back under the radar after seven months away,” the source added.
Ms Ferguson and her former husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were both stripped of their royal titles by King Charles last October, as the fallout from Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein intensified.
The pair were subsequently ordered to relinquish the lease on Royal Lodge in Windsor, where they had shared a roof for nearly two decades despite their divorce.
Sarah Ferguson is set to return to Britain after a seven-month exile, it has been reported
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GETTYMs Ferguson left the property in February and promptly vanished from public life in Britain.
During her months abroad, she was tracked down to a £2,000-a-night spa retreat in the Austrian Alps.
She also took refuge at a chalet in the exclusive Swiss resort of Verbier, a property belonging to her late former lover and benefactor Paddy McNally, the racing tycoon who died last month aged 88.
Her return to British shores comes just days after Harry and Meghan touched down in Birmingham, having flown privately from California with their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, after six years in the United States.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the UK for an ‘extended period of time’ earlier this week
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GETTYThe Sussexes are understood to be planning an “extended” stay, with intentions to set up a private, non-royal household and enrol their children in school from September.
Ms Ferguson is said to view the Sussexes’ shock return as a convenient distraction. The source explained: “She hasn’t had to worry about accommodation for 20 years as she had Royal Lodge with Andrew. Now’s the right time to get back to her life.”
Removal vans were spotted this week collecting Ms Ferguson’s belongings from Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where he has been living since the Royal Lodge eviction.
Her new property reportedly features three bathrooms and a granny annexe, with a skip visible in the driveway as the house was being prepared for her arrival. Engineers have also been installing high-speed broadband.
There has been considerable speculation that Mr McNally, whose fortune was estimated at £600million, may have left Ms Ferguson a portion of his wealth. His Verbier chalet alone was valued at approximately £15 million.
A source previously indicated that Ms Ferguson “has never asked for a property or any provision for herself” and intends to “forge an independent life” going forward.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor remains under investigation by Thames Valley Police over allegations that he shared confidential information with Epstein during his decade-long tenure as a government trade envoy, a role he held from 2001 to 2011.
Documents released as part of the Epstein files appeared to show him forwarding official reports about diplomatic trips to the convicted sex trafficker.
He was arrested on his 66th birthday in February – the first such detention of a royal in modern history – on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Ms Ferguson herself has faced scrutiny after it emerged she had written to Epstein describing him as a “supreme friend,” though there is no suggestion she committed any criminal offence.