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Sarah Ferguson has narrowed down her search for a new home and has a deadline by which she must move out of Royal Lodge.
The author and former Duchess of York, 66, is preparing to move out of the Windsor mansion she has shared for years with ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following King Charles’ unprecedented decision to strip Andrew of all royal titles and demand that he surrender his lease, amid renewed attention to her past relationship with the late convicted Jeffrey Epstein.
A close source tells PEOPLE that Ferguson, who also lost her royal title, is focusing her search near the place she has called home for decades.
“She’s looking for a house in Windsor,” the source says, adding that she and Andrew have been given a January 31 move-out date.
A representative for Ferguson did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The new timing has added urgency to Ferguson’s push for a new start. As PEOPLE previously reported, her publicist said she is “considering many options” for her next chapter and no final decisions have been made. Recent reports speculating that he might move into a converted barn and outbuildings on his daughter Princess Beatrice’s estate in the Cotswolds, or join his daughter Princess Eugenie in Portugal, have been categorically denied.
Mark Cuthbert/British Press, via Getty. shutter stock
Instead, Ferguson is expected to “move forward independently,” another source previously told PEOPLE, stressing that he is not seeking any assets or special provisions for himself.
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Meanwhile, Andrew, 65, plans to move into King Charles’ Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The Royal Lodge has a deeply personal history for the family, from Princess Eugenie’s evening wedding reception in 2018 to Princess Beatrice’s intimate Windsor wedding in 2020, but their long-term residence has come under increasing scrutiny, particularly amid reports that they have not paid rent for more than 20 years.
