It’s understandable for someone in her shoes to want to simply disappear.
Following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Sarah Ferguson has all but vanished.
Reports have placed her location in Switzerland, England, the UAE, and now Ireland.
Where is her real location? Is she hiding out of shame, for privacy, or to avoid legal obligations?
Where on Earth is she?
For weeks, Andrew’s ex-wife has more or less been in hiding.
In January, reports placed “Fergie” in Switzerland. Apparently she was staying at a famous Swiss clinic.
This after her brief appearance at her granddaughter’s December 12 Christening last year.
After she apparently played hopscotch across a hemisphere, she may be staying at an Irish resort.
The Daily Mail reports that she’s been residing in a wellness retreat in Donegal. (That’s in Northeastern Ireland, right on the border with English-occupied Northern Ireland.)
There is debate about whether Ferguson remains there.
Some have also suggested that she or someone close to her may have leaked this location to quiet the search.
For years, Ferguson’s mother resided in Argentina.
That seems to be as good of a guess as any. Others have suggested various resorts and getaways in Asia.
Simply put, Ferguson doesn’t want to be found. She doesn’t want to talk about Andrew or about her own ties to Epstein.
Why is she hiding?
Despite appearances (this is clearly a woman who has spent a lot of time in the sun), Ferguson is only 66 years old.
It’s likely that her visits to clinics have more to do with strict privacy and plush accommodations. That, however, is merely social media speculation.
What we do know is that Ferguson has weathered scandals before.
Years before her current troubles, she had an earth-shaking bribery scandal.
(Memorably, she fumed and stormed out of a 60 Minutes Australia interview when it came up.)
The thing is that, unlike her loathsome ex-husband, Ferguson has a reputation for being charming in and out of interviews. (With some exceptions, of course.)
In the past, she has been able to humble herself on camera and then pivot.
It makes for good television. Interviewers eat it up. And she gets to sweep scandals under the rug that way.
This time, it’s not working. It doesn’t appear that any major networks are willing to give Ferguson a platform for her brand-recovery tour.
If she can’t get ahead of the narrative, then her next best option is arguably to hide. Even if hiding becomes the story.
Is there a more practical reason for hiding?
Some have suggested that Ferguson might need to testify in court against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
(Notably, the UK does not have spousal privilege like US courts do — spouses can be compelled to testify against each other. Even in the US, that privilege has exceptions.)
It is unclear what she might know about him. How much would crown prosecutors (yes, that’s what they’re called) need to ask?
Similarly, it is unclear how long Ferguson can afford to stay abroad. She leads a famously expensive lifestyle.
If there’s one thing that we’ve learned in recent years, it’s that the worst rich people alive tend to befriend each other. Her couch-surfing is likely to remain lavish — for as long as she can keep it up.