Sarah Ferguson Pictured for the First Time in 6 Months as She Joins Daughters Beatrice and Eugenie at Memorial for Ex
Sarah Ferguson at the funeral service for the Duchess of Kent in London in September 2025Credit: Neil Mockford/GC Images
Sarah Ferguson stepped out on Thursday, Oct. 29, for the memorial service of her ex-boyfriend Paddy McNally, who died in July
The author and ex-wife of the former Prince Andrew was joined by her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
It was the first time she has been pictured since she returned to the U.K. from the Austrian Alps where she had been staying in the wake of the furor over her links with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
Sarah Ferguson made a surprise reappearance among London society on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The former royal, 67, stepped out, alongside daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their husbands, for the memorial service honoring her late ex-boyfriend Paddy McNally, marking the first time she has been pictured in public in months. McNally died in July at the age of 88.
It was the first time Ferguson had been spotted in public since she returned to the U.K. over the summer from the Austrian Alps where she had been staying in the wake of the furor over her links with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Daily Mail shared pictures of her at the memorial service at St. Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge, London — including one of Sarah with her arm entwined in that of her son-in-law, Jack Brooksbank, the husband of Eugenie, 36.
Sarah Ferguson at Easter service in Windsor Castle, April 2025Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
The appearance came almost a year to the day after King Charles stripped his brother, the former Prince Andrew, of his royal titles and honors and ordered him — and ex-wife Ferguson — to vacate the vast Royal Lodge home in Windsor where they had lived under the same roof for around 20 years.
The author took herself away to the European mountains for much of the early part of this year, as her links with Epstein were examined by the media in the wake of the release of the Epstein files. (The former Duchess of York hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the late financier.)
In July, a source told PEOPLE she was “keeping a low profile” and still in contact with her daughters.
Before Thursday’s memorial, Ferguson was last pictured in public in April 2026 at a ski resort in Austria, per photos obtained by The Sun.
(L-R) Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie in 2023Credit: Dave Benett/Getty
A source close to the former Duchess of York told PEOPLE in late 2025 that, as the Epstein fallout continued, Ferguson planned to “forge an independent life.” PEOPLE previously reported that Ferguson had returned in late August, and until Thursday, she had not been photographed in public since. In September, a representative for Ferguson denied that she was writing a third memoir.
PEOPLE reported in late August that Ferguson was believed to renting renting a six-bedroom property for around $8,000 per month. The Sun, which was first to report the news, reported that the house was located in the Home Counties surrounding London.
Her ex-husband — the now-named Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — was given a home on Charles’ Sandringham estate, 110 miles north of London.
Ferguson returned to the U.K. just a few weeks after daughter Eugenie welcomed her third child, a daughter named Adelaide, with her husband.
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Fergie, as Ferguson became known, dated McNally for a few years, ending in 1985, before she married Andrew the following year. She remained close friends with McNally for decades and when his funeral took place in August, Ferguson’s eldest daughter Beatrice, 38, represented her mother (as well as being there in her own right).
McNally was a Formula 1 driver and journalist before becoming involved in the management of the sport. In 1983, he formed Allsport Management SA, which provided corporate hospitality and trackside advertising at F1 events. He sold the company in 2006 and remained chief executive until his retirement in 2011.
Source: Entertainment
