Sarah Ferguson left the Palace shocked when she refused a multimillion-pound present from the Queen.
Sarah left the Palace shocked when she refused a multimillion-pound present from the Queen (Picture: Getty)
Only a yr after their dad and mom’ divorce, the late Queen gifted her granddaughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, a £1.6million seven-bedroom Georgian mansion. The Grade II-listed constructing, Birch Corridor, close to Windlesham, Surrey, was purchased by the Queen in 1997 to supply the princesses, then aged 9 and 7, with stability amid the “chaos” of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s separation.
Regardless of boasting 5 acres of land, an outside heated swimming pool and a tennis court docket, Fergie, now 66, left Buckingham Palace shocked when she refused the multi-million-pound property. Consequently, the property remained empty till it was bought in 1999. It was understood that the proceeds from the sale can be held in belief for the princesses, who have been dwelling at their dad and mom’ former marital residence, Sunninghill Park, close to Ascot, on the time.
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Birch Corridor was put up on the market after Sarah stated she was unable to afford its repairs (Picture: PA)
In response to the BBC on the time, property brokers stated Birch Corridor was placed on sale “on account of a change of circumstance” with Sarah unable to afford the maintenance and operating prices.
“The Queen noticed Birch Corridor as way over an extravagant current for a younger granddaughter,” an insider advised Radar On-line. “In her thoughts, it was a method of making a steady household base for Sarah, Beatrice, and Eugenie after the upheaval and embarrassment surrounding the Yorks’ divorce.
“It was meant to be a gesture of reassurance as a lot as generosity – nearly an announcement that, regardless of the wedding breaking down, Sarah and the women would nonetheless be sorted and stay firmly a part of the broader royal fold.”
“Sarah shortly realised that accepting a grand Georgian property and really having the ability to maintain it have been two utterly various things,” the insider claimed.
“Behind closed doorways, she was stated to be genuinely anxious about taking up a home that might find yourself draining her financially and turning into a continuing supply of stress somewhat than stability.”
Sarah and her daughters remained at Sunninghill Park till 2006, after which the then-Duchess of York re-joined her ex-husband at Royal Lodge in Windsor. They remained there till they have been kicked out in February over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The previous Duke of York now lives at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Property, whereas Sarah has gone into hiding. She was final noticed at a luxurious £14,000 wellness resort within the Austrian Alps.
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