Sarah Ferguson’s recent reclusiveness is driven by a desire to protect her children amid renewed scrutiny linked to Jeffrey Epstein, according to one of her relatives.
Ferguson, 66, the former Duchess of York, was photographed last week outside a wellness clinic in Austria, marking the first time she has been snapped in public in four months after attending the christening of her youngest granddaughter.
Her retreat from public life follows the release of documents in the US connected to the late Epstein, a convicted sex offender, which further referenced both Ferguson and her former husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with the sex trafficker.
A relative of Ferguson’s, Martin Barrantes, who lives in Buenos Aires, has now told the Daily Mail she has been deliberately avoiding public exposure in order to shield her daughters, Princesses Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 36, and their children.
“I have spoken to her (and) can tell you that she just wants to protect her children and her grandchildren,” Barrantes said.
“We spoke around three months ago. I wanted to give her my support in a difficult moment for her with all that was going on with the Epstein files.
“Sarah is going through a difficult moment, and I wanted to send her our support, she is a valued member of our family. Given the situation she seemed to be in good spirits.”
Barrantes said people need to remember the “real villain” is Epstein.
“Sarah was perhaps foolish to trust him and take such confidence from him, and I am sure she regrets that now.
“I haven’t seen Sarah in person for four or five years now (but) Sarah and her sister became much-loved members of our family and of course we give her our support.”
Another relative, Martin’s younger brother Raphael Barrantes, also spoke to the Daily Mail.
“I’m sure Sarah regrets ever getting to know Epstein. She was led on by him, but he was the criminal in all this, people have to remember that Sarah didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.
“She loves her children more than anything and will do anything for them.”
Ferguson has longstanding ties to Argentina, where she co-owns El Pucara, a ranch located about 600 kilometres from Buenos Aires.
The estate has been part of her family’s history for decades and is where her mother, Susan Barrantes, died in 1998 following a car crash.
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