Sarah Ferguson has been seen for the first time in 213 days in Austria following the controversy over her links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Photos show the former Duchess of York, ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, appearing somber - reportedly at a luxury Alpine ski resort.
Ferguson, 66, lost her Duchess of York title in October last year when Mountbatten-Windsor gave up his Duke of York title due to his connections with Epstein. She had not officially been seen in public for 213 days since being spotted on Wednesday. The Sun, which published the photos, reported she was seen near her chalet in Austria.
This comes after documents released by the US Department of Justice on January 30 revealed that Ferguson was in contact with Epstein while he was in prison for soliciting sex from a minor in 2009 - even planning to meet him at his home five days after his release. As a reminder, being named in the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.
The last official event Ferguson attended was the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral on September 16.
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Last month, Ferguson lost her Freedom of the City of York title after councillors unanimously voted to revoke the honor over her links to Epstein. The removal follows new revelations about the former duchess's connections to Epstein.
Speaking during the debate, Liberal Democrat councillor Darryl Smalley said: "We now know, following the release of thousands of documents, that Sarah Ferguson also had a close friendship with Epstein, which continued well beyond his conviction.
"We don’t expect recipients of York’s highest honor to be saints. We simply do not want them to be best friends of convicted paedophiles. We stand with victims. We stand for the rule of law. We stand for decency."
He added: "York will hopefully have etched out our city’s connections to both Andrew and Sarah.
"We must wipe the slate clean, draw a line. Remember our duty to victims of sexual abuse, and move forward with our highest honor reserved for those who truly deserve the privilege. I urge all councillors to vote for the motion."
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