Inside scandal-hit Sarah Ferguson's isolated life as she 'lies low' at Royal Lodge

Sarah Ferguson is reportedly keeping her head down at Royal Lodge after her leaked email to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein threw the York family into a fresh scandal.

The Duchess of Yorkhas been dropped by a number of charities since the publication of details of an email she sent in 2011, which appears to have been sent after she had publicly claimed to have broken off contact with him.

The duchess' biographer Ingrid Seward, who has known Sarah and her family since the 1980s, doesn't rule out an eventual comeback but says it won't be easy.

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She told the I newspaper: "(Fergie) has come back so many times. This time she is probably going to have to do what she's never done before and lie low for quite a while."

The duchess is normally a familiar sight around Windsor Great Park, where she shares the controversial £30million Royal Lodge with Prince Andrew, from whom she was divorced in 1996.

She might normally have been spotted walking the late Queen Elizabeth’s corgis or heading out on one of her numerous shopping trips, but royal expert Richard Palmer says that there has been "no sign of her" since the embarrassing letter came to light weeks ago.

It’s hard to know when Fergie might be seen again. With Christmas just a couple of months away, royal commentator Jennie Bond has said that it’s “inconceivable” that the Yorks could appear alongside the rest of the Royal Family for the traditional festive church service at Sandringham.

Reports say Sarah’s ex-husband Andrew has so far stuck to his usual routine, despite fresh allegations being presented in the US this week of his involvement with convicted sex offender Epstein.

Records of Epstein’s flights published this weekend show that the duke flew with Epstein on his private jet to spend a few days in Florida in May 2000, while he was ostensibly on an official taxpayer-funded visit to support Britain's leading child protection charity, the NSPCC.

Andrew, 65, has yet to make any comment on the new claims, but he has repeatedly denied any involvement with or knowledge of Epstein’s criminal acts.

The couple’s two daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, have also been notable by their absence from the Royal Lodge. The sisters are normally regular visitors to see their parents but they haven’t been seen near Windsor since the publication of the email in which their mother called sex offender Epstein “a supreme friend.”

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams commented: ”The York brand has been toxic for some time and this may well get even worse. Both will obviously be devastated by the fact that their parents are both in disgrace."

Beatrice, in particular, is known to have been keen to bolster the depleted royal ranks at a time when both King Charles and Kate Middleton have been sidelined by serious health issues.

The King has reportedly been trying to encourage his younger brother to relocated to Frogmore Cottage, the four-bedroom house within the security cordon on the Windsor Castle estate previously occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Andrew has doggedly refused to move from the much grander and more prestigious Royal Lodge.

While Andrew and Sarah can no longer rely on financial support from the King, royal biographers think Charles' younger brother has inherited more than enough money from the late Queen and other family members to stay in Royal Lodge. They also say money from business deals will allow him to stay in the house.

The Duke and Duchess of York also face a fresh attempt to strip them of their titles.

Rachael Maskell, the independent MP for York Central, wants to resurrect her private members' bill to allow either the King or a grand committee of peers and MPs the right to remove an hereditary title from those who bring it into disrepute.