Fergie Flees, Friends Rally: Duchess' Post-Epstein Hideout

0:00On April 5th, Sarah Ferguson, the ex-Dutches of York, has vanished from public life since mid-December, right after the Jeffrey Epstein scandal blew. Up again, she's been crashing on friends' couches around the world, dodging the spotlight amid her old ties to the disgraced financier who gave her cash and flights even after his conviction. Friends say she's hopping between spots and places like Dubai, Switzerland, and maybe Italy, using three different phones to avoid getting tracked. On FaceTime calls, she looks worn out, skipping her usual hair and bowtouch routines and sounding really on edge. Her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are keeping their distance, no visits, even though their homes have space. Fergie and her ex, Prince Andrew, who used to live together happily, are barely talking now. He's spacing a police probe over possible leaks to Epstein during his trade and boy days. She's leaning on a big network of sell-it-pows for shelter, from Elton John and Naomi Campbell, to old flames like an Italian count, or her ex-boyfriend, Patty McNally.

1:07These connections go back years through parties, weddings, and free vacations. Word is, her hideout phase might wrap up soon. She's itching to step back into the light, but whether the world or her family rolls out the welcome man. Is anyone's guess?