Mystery of Fergie’s London flat: £4million Belgravia home owned by Duchess has been lying empty – so, could it become her and Andrew’s new home if Charles ousts them from the Royal Lodge?

As Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson wrestle with King Charles to hold onto their beloved Windsor lodge, just an hour away lies a potential solution to the thorny problem of where they should live.

Fergie is the owner of a £4million apartment in one of London’s most sought-after addresses, which has seemingly been lying empty for some time – raising the question of why it could not become their new home.

The two-bedroom Georgian home, situated in an exclusive cobbled mews in Belgravia, is just a short drive from royal residences occupied by the former couple’s two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and boasts all the opulent furnishings one would expect from a home belonging to royalty. 

Given the woes they face at their current home – which is in dire need of renovations and repairs – and the attempts by Charles to kick them out, it would seem a natural choice for them to move. 

And now MailOnline can reveal that the property has apparently been lying empty for a significant period of time since it was purchased two years ago. 

Neighbours have barely seen the Duchess of York since she took ownership of the townhouse and it seems the pair have no interest in living there.

Instead the property, described as a ‘long-term investment’ for their daughters when it was purchased for £4.25million in June 2022, has been left largely empty.

One long term resident told MailOnline: ‘It’s been empty for quite a while now, but we have seen Fergie on the odd occasion but I’m not sure how long she actually stayed there.

‘Everybody around here knows that she owns it but there’s not much coming and going.’

Another resident said: ‘I’ve never seen anybody go in and out of there or seen the lights on at night. But that’s not unusual for around here because a lot of the homes are not occupied on a regular basis.’

This is not an unusual occurrence in the secluded mews in which the townhouse lies – many of the neighbouring properties are owned by wealthy individuals who do not spend much time there and have other properties.

As one American businessman who is renting nearby put it: ‘You could not get a more exclusive location and that comes at a hefty price.

‘Even if Fergie was in her house most of the time nobody would be bothering her. People are very discrete around here.’

The home had previously been owned by Sebastian Macdonald-Hall, the party-loving DJ son of property magnate Caspar Macdonald-Hall, whose family fortune is estimated to be more than £950million.

When he moved out residents, who had previously complained about his late-night jamborees, had expected things to become a bit more peaceful.

However, things have turned out to be even quieter than expected following the cash purchase, with Sarah seen only fleetingly.

The price of the property had come as a surprise to many given the Duchess of York has previously described herself as being ‘continually on the verge of bankruptcy’ and it was later reported that Beatrice and Eugenie had bought the townhouse for their mother to use. 

However, sources at the time of the purchase claimed that she had no intention of leaving Royal Lodge, which she shares with Andrew, and instead planned to rent it out.

Since then it has appeared the market, with the website of one prestigious London-based estate agent saying the £16,500-a-month property is currently under offer.

Described as a ‘nest egg’ for their daughters, it is perhaps unsurprising to see the luxurious flat go up for rent.

Official Land Registry documents revealed Sarah cannot sell the home without written consent from her daughters and one source claimed that it this is possibly because they had stumped up the money for the sale.

There have since been suggestions that both Sarah and Andrew could make good use of it by moving in, although this might require permission from their daughters.

The property lies remarkably close to St James’s Place and Kensington Palace, where both their daughters are believed to maintain residences.

Beatrice has a flat at St James’s Place which she shares with her property developer husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, her step-son Christopher Woolf and her daughter Sienna.

The family stay in the flat close to Buckingham Palace when they are not at their extensive £3.5million mansion in the Cotswolds.

Meanwhile Eugenie, who currently lives in Portugal with her marketing executive spouse Jack Brooksbank and their children August and Ernest, is believed to maintain a property at Kensington Palace.

This means that both daughters have flats within a ten-minute drive of the Belgravia townhouse, ideal for quick visits to see loved ones.

And while Andrew is not known to have much of a social presence in the capital anymore – he is often seen riding his horses around the estate at Windsor – Sarah is a common sight among London’s elite. 

The Duchess of York has been known to frequent six different private member’s clubs in nearby Mayfair, although she has been seen less often since her shock double-cancer diagnosis in 2023.

Amid reports that Charles is threatening to kick the pair out Royal Lodge in Windsor after firing Andrew’s his security team, it could be easy to think that a move to central London could be on the cards.

Disgraced Andrew has seen his public reputation plummet in recent years after his links to American paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein were exposed.

After being stripped of his military positions and royal patronages, Andrew was removed as a working royal with his older brother Charles rebuffing his efforts to return to the fold.

The monarch has contributed a hefty sum to his brother’s upkeep, giving him an allowance of £249,000-a-year and paying his security expenses at his Windsor home.

That hasn’t been enough to keep up with the costs of living in Royal Lodge though, and Andrew has struggled to meet the £400,000-a-year upkeep for the 30-room mansion, against which he has a 75-year lease.

The property is in dire need of renovation, with scaffolding seen around the outside of the building and paint seen flaking from the walls, even though Andrew has reportedly already spent £7million on it.

Charles wants Andrew and Sarah out of the property amid claims he wants to rent it out for up to £1million-a-year, and this month it was reported he had fired his younger brother’s ten-man security team in a bid to force the move.

Despite everything that has happened and the forceful efforts by Charles to get the pair to leave Royal Lodge, one royal expert believes the pair are going nowhere. 

Royal biographer and historian Andrew Lownie claims that Andrew and Sarah wouldn’t consider moving into the property in London despite their links to the capital.

‘It’s basically a nest egg for their two daughters. I think it’s purely an investment,’ he said, adding that their battle with Charles over Royal Lodge may continue for a while longer.

Mr Lownie said: ‘I don’t think they will move, I don’t think there are any grounds to get them out.

‘He [Andrew] has grandchildren, the two girls grew up there. I think it’s a complete red herring.’

He added that despite Andrew no longer being a working royal, both he and Sarah make enough money to afford the private security required to keep them safe in Windsor.

‘They’re using their royal positions – she hasn’t stopped working, writing books and using her brand,’ Mr Lownie said.

‘He is no longer a special representative, but he’s got all the contacts he made over many years. They can afford to stay in Royal Lodge.’

If the pair are forced leave though, there are a number of royal residences they could move into, even though Andrew has reportedly turned up his nose at some of them.

Last year, The Mail revealed that the King had offered his younger brother Frogmore Cottage, a more modest property than Royal Lodge, but Andrew reportedly saw this as a ‘demotion’ too far.

Andrew downsizing to live at Frogmore Cottage would make a significant saving, with friends of the King saying he would continue to pay for mobile security, but would not have to provide static security for the building.

Those with knowledge of Frogmore Cottage – which used to house the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – said it is in good condition thanks to the work carried out by Harry and Meghan before their move to the US and it has been left empty since then.

Other contenders include Wood Farm and Garden House, both of which lie on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. 

The former is where Andrew’s late father, Prince Philip, called home after retiring from public life, while the latter was once home to the Queen’s head gardener at Sandringham.