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Scandal has long haunted the royal family, and from the current outlook, the chaos surrounding them shows no signs of abating. A new official investigation is underway concerning the royal family’s Crown Estates properties amidst growing concerns about Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s so-called “peppercorn” rent arrangement at Royal Lodge. And with the controversies trailing Andrew, 65, relentless, an insider tells Closer he is now seriously hoping for a romantic reunion with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson to ensure she stays onside.

We’re told Andrew’s desire for reconciliation may stem as much from fear of betrayal as genuine affection. The source claims Andrew worries Sarah could ‘throw him under the bus’ if left to fend for herself, and at the same time, he’s become aware that his romantic prospects have diminished drastically in light of the ongoing scandals.

‘He says being together again might be the only way they both get through this mess,’ the source says of the couple who were married for ten years but split in 1996. ‘He still finds her very attractive and he’s so comfortable with her and let’s face it, he’s not going to have a lot of other prospects, he’s a social pariah in London now. He keeps telling her they can do so much more as a team and that the best way forward is to rebuild what they once had.’

The pair married at Westminster Abbey in 1986, going on to have two daughters – Beatrice and Eugenie. They separated in 1992 in a year Queen Elizabeth II would go on to call her ‘annus horribilis’ but went on to live together in Royal Lodge – the home they are now forced to leave – for 17 years.

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All of this comes after the most damning of scandals: King Charles stripped Andrew of his titles following renewed scrutiny of Andrew’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as a headline-grabbing civil sexual abuse lawsuit brought against him by one of Epstein’s victims. Andrew continues to deny all wrongdoing, but nevertheless, his eviction from Royal Lodge—a home he’s known for decades—is now underway. Sarah, too, has found herself swept up in the chaos, not just because of Andrew’s association with Epstein, but because her own ties to the disgraced financier have also been exposed.

Insiders tell Closer that Kate and William, both 43, have been left feeling disappointed after hoping things were starting to calm down.

‘Kate and William were hoping things would calm down in the run up to Christmas, but things have exploded and it’s left them feeling tense,’ the insider tells us. ‘The sense amongst Andrew’s estranged relatives is that a great weight has been lifted, or it soon will be, once he and Sarah have finally been removed from Royal Lodge and consigned to their new living quarters far away from Windsor.’

Although the repercussions have unsettled everyone, Kate, particularly, has found herself torn over. On one hand, the absence of Andrew as a near neighbour is a relief, though the consequences for her friend and Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, are difficult for her to reconcile. The insider confides, ‘Kate is pleased that they have faced repercussions, though it’s a little harder for her to admit this because she and Sarah were previously so friendly. She hated the idea of living so close to Andrew and feels extremely relieved he’s no longer hanging around like a bad smell.’

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Kate, a mother of three, does feel some sympathy towards Fergie, 66, but acknowledges that any hope for Sarah’s reputation to recover depends on her breaking away from Andrew entirely. ‘Kate does feel badly for Sarah, they go back a long way and shared some very fond times together. But there’s no denying the fact she’s made some terrible choices and the fact she elected to try and lie her way out of trouble for such a long time has ultimately cost her a terrible price,’ the insider shares.

The source suggests Kate is quietly holding onto a hope that, rather than considering remarrying him, Sarah might actually take the opportunity to break away from the downward pull of Andrew’s legacy. ‘It’s a chance for Sarah to put her hands up and show some honesty, transparency and class – not crawl back to Andrew and be sucked in by his manipulation as she has been in the past,’ adds the source.

The fallout is a reminder of how deeply public controversy can disrupt even the most privileged families. While the Prince and Princess of Wales look toward a quieter and more stable future, it seems clear the era of Andrew’s influence is over. Yet, with ex-Prince Andrew still entertaining fantasies of remarriage—especially to the woman by his side for his most tumultuous years—it seems likely that this saga is far from its final act.

The next moves for both Andrew and Sarah, as well as their roles within the wider royal drama, are under intense scrutiny. Whether Sarah chooses to distance herself once and for all or gets pulled back into Andrew’s orbit will have lasting consequences not just for her own future, but for the way the royal family is perceived by the world. The only certainty is that, for now, peace within the royal family remains elusive—and the impact of Andrew’s scandals is still making waves that could be felt for years to come.