Sarah Ferguson was photographed at a luxury ski resort in the Austrian Alps on Wednesday, April 15, marking her first public sighting in 213 days and her first known appearance since the arrest of her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, in February.
The former Duchess of York, 66, was seen stepping out of a blacked-out Mercedes van in a quiet Alpine village, according to photos obtained by a news outlet, in what has quickly become a fresh chapter in the long and increasingly awkward fallout from the Epstein scandal.
Sarah Ferguson Reappears In Austria
Sarah Ferguson's low‑key reappearance in the Alps is the first firm answer to weeks of speculation about where she had been living since she and Andrew were stripped of their remaining titles by King Charles in October 2025 and evicted from Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Before that, Sarah Ferguson's last clear public outing was at the christening of her granddaughter Athena in December 2025, following an appearance at the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral on 16 September.
Witnesses in Austria described a woman doing her best not to be recognised. Sarah Ferguson was seen in a dark blue coat and matching trousers, carrying a teal raffia tote and hiding her distinctive red hair under a pale hat or baseball cap, with heavy spectacles partly obscuring her face.
A source familiar with the resort said the outfit looked carefully chosen to make a quick, anonymous errand easier.
'Fergie has been keeping an incredibly low profile while high up in the Alps,' the source told one outlet. 'The area is absolutely beautiful and it's very quiet most of the time, so it's the perfect place for a high‑profile figure such as her to lie low when the heat is on.'
Sarah Ferguson Uses Alpine Retreat As Questions Grow
Behind the photographs sits a messier story. Those close to Sarah Ferguson say the fallout from the Epstein files has been severe. Emails between her and Epstein, released as part of the US document dump, undermined earlier assurances that contact had ended, and reignited scrutiny of her past financial dealings with him.
One source quoted in reports said the files 'hit like a sledgehammer' and claimed Ferguson 'has not wanted to be seen by anyone.'
During the months when Sarah Ferguson could not be located, rumour filled the void. She was variously said to be in Australia, the Caribbean, a £13,000‑a‑day lakeside wellness clinic in Zurich, or staying with Princess Eugenie in Portugal or in a so‑called granny annexe at Princess Beatrice's Cotswolds home. Friends even suggested she might be back in the Swiss resort of Verbier with an old millionaire acquaintance.
The new images pin her instead to a quiet Austrian village, which sources have declined to name, and to a chalet reportedly charging around €2,000 (£1,743.05) per night.
Sources claim she rarely leaves the property and has been laying 'false breadcrumbs' about her movements to throw reporters and online sleuths off the trail.
Sarah Ferguson Faces Calls To Testify Over Epstein Links
While Sarah Ferguson has tried to keep her head down, the political heat has risen. In late March, US congressman Suhas Subramanyam, who sits on the House Oversight Committee examining Epstein's network, publicly called for her to give evidence.
'Sarah Ferguson should give sworn testimony to our committee,' he said, arguing that he believed she had 'information related to the investigation.' He also acknowledged that there is currently no legal mechanism to compel her to appear in Washington, a point echoed in BBC reporting.
In Britain, the picture has been shifting as well. After revelations that Andrew had misled the public about when he cut off contact with Epstein, King Charles confirmed the loss of their remaining honours and, in October 2025, removed the couple from Royal Lodge, their long‑time Windsor base.
Palace sources say Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will continue to perform some royal roles, but those same reports suggest both daughters have kept a cautious distance from their parents while the investigations run on.
In February Ferguson closed six of her businesses in three days, prompting questions about how she plans to support herself and whether she is preparing for legal costs. Her spokesperson declined to comment when approached, and she has made no public statement addressing the latest documents or the congressional request.
The former Duchess of York largely vanished from public life after her ex‑husband Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor was arrested on 19 February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he improperly shared information with Epstein.
His detention followed the latest release of the so‑called Epstein files by the US Department of Justice on 30 January, which included fresh correspondence between Andrew and Epstein and showed Ferguson had remained in contact with the disgraced financier despite earlier claims to the contrary.
