Andrew ‘hardly bothered by Epstein scandal’ while Fergie ‘feels no remorse’
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was ‘more bothered about his horses’ than the scandal surrounding his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, sources have claimed.
He had already been stripped of his titles and exiled from public life before his arrest this week dragged the monarchy into its biggest crisis in decades.
Andrew was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office after allegations were made against him following the release of files related to paedophile billionaire Epstein.
He spent 11 hours in police custody on his 66th birthday before being released under investigation over claims he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy.
Detectives continue to search Andrew’s former home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor, Berkshire, this weekend, while he remains holed up in a cottage tucked away on the King’s Sandringham estate.
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Before his arrest, the disgraced former duke did ‘nothing but complain since he got here’, according to a Norfolk source close to the family.
‘It’s extraordinary. He hardly seemed bothered about the Epstein scandal. He was much more worried about where he was supposed to keep his horses,’ they told the Daily Mail.
‘He is in another world.’
A dog walker who lives near Royal Lodge – who wished to be known only as Ben, said: ‘I think the mood of the nation is behind the fact that he should answer for whatever he’s done.
‘No-one knows what (the royal family) knew or what they didn’t know, but I think they’ve done everything they can to distance themselves.
‘They’ve kicked him out, basically, haven’t they? And that’s it.’
Asked what it has been like to have the former prince as a neighbour in Windsor, Ben replied: ‘He’s not popular. But he’s not popular anywhere, is he?’
The whereabouts of Andrew’s immediate family, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and former wife Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson, are unknown.
Friends of the latter told the Mail she is ‘very, very down’, saying: ‘She feels deeply depressed and that the world is out to get her.’
But they added: ‘What she doesn’t appear to feel is remorse for what has happened. She just wants this to all go away and allow her to get on with her life. Her head is in the sand.’
Last week, it emerged that six companies linked to Fergie are being wound down in the wake of the publication of the Epstein files.
According to Companies House, an application to strike off each company was filed after new revelations about Sarah’s contact with Epstein came to light with the publication of millions of documents by US authorities.
In documents released last month, the former duchess appears to say to Epstein: ‘I am at your service. Just marry me.’
In an email exchange from September 21, 2011, she apparently wrote: ‘Don’t know if you are still on this bbm but heard from The Duke that you have had a baby boy.
‘Even though you never kept in touch, I still am here with love, friendship and congratualtions (sic) on your baby boy. Sarah xx’
The email is then followed up with a message saying: ‘You have disappeared.
‘I did not even know you were having a baby. It was soooo crystal clear to me that you were only friends with me to get to Andrew. And that really hurt me deeeply (sic). More than you will know.’
Many of the exchanges are dated after Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a child.
The companies being wound down by the former duchess of York are: S Phoenix Events, Fergie’s Farm, La Luna Investments, Solamoon Ltd, Philanthrapreneur Ltd and Planet Partners Productions Ltd, none of which appear to have been very active.
According to the Government website, applying to strike a company off the register is also known as ‘dissolving’ a company, and is a way to close down a company that has not traded in three months.
Late last year, after she lost her courtesy royal divorcee title, Sarah submitted an official change to her details for all the firms from Sarah Duchess of York to Sarah Margaret Ferguson.
Days after the new details emerged about the former duchess’s friendship with Epstein, Sarah’s Trust, a charity she had founded, also announced it would close ‘for the foreseeable future’.
Metro has contacted a representative for the former duchess for comment.
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