EXCLUSIVE: Prince Andrew's 'Trapped' Wife Sarah Ferguson 'Would Love to Move Out of Their Shared Home' — But is Too 'Old, Tired and Fearful to Strike Out Alone'

Sarah Ferguson is "emotionally exhausted and desperate to escape" life at Royal Lodge – the sprawling Windsor home she still shares with her disgraced ex-husband Prince Andrew – but friends tell RadarOnline.com the Duchess of York feels "too old, too tired, and too fearful" to start over on her own.

The 65-year-old Duchess has privately admitted she "would love to move out" after being dragged back into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Gushing emails from Fergie have been published in which she pays tribute to the shamed financier following his release from jail on child sex offenses. In the correspondence, she issued a groveling apology to Epstein for publicly disassociating herself from her "supreme friend" when it emerged he had bailed her out financially.

She also claimed she had only done so to save her career as a children's author.

A source close to Ferguson has now told RadarOnline.com: "Sarah feels utterly trapped. She's furious that, after everything she's survived – cancer, heartbreak, humiliation – she's now being pulled back into Andrew's and the Epstein mess again. She'd love to move out of Royal Lodge, but she's terrified of what that would mean. She's older, she's tired, and she's afraid of being completely alone."

The friend added: "There's no love left there with Andrew as a partner, but she's been tied to him for decades. He's her past and, in some sad way, her safety net. Even when he ruins her peace, she still feels responsible for him."

In another blow for Ferguson, newly released testimony from Epstein's madam Ghislaine Maxwell shows the fixer alleging the duchess had "pushed" for Epstein to be introduced to Andrew, even suggesting the Duchess had shown personal interest in him.

"I thought that Sarah was trying to put the moves on Jeffrey," Maxwell said. "I thought the whole thing was annoying, and I was p----- off."

Those close to Ferguson insist the claims are "nonsense" and say she is livid at being dragged into the scandal again.

"Sarah is beside herself about this," said the source.

"She's calling it the delusional fantasy of a convicted criminal trying to stir chaos. But deep down she's panicking that people will believe it, and she blames Andrew entirely. She says this nightmare never would've touched her if he hadn't been involved with Epstein in the first place."

The controversy follows reports Ferguson's name appeared in a batch of old Epstein-related emails uncovered by U.S. investigators earlier this year, though the correspondence was described as "innocuous."

The revelation has still added fuel to the firestorm – just months after Sarah seemed to have rebuilt her public image following her cancer treatment.

"She feels like she can't catch a break," said another friend. "Every time she gets her life back on track, something from Andrew's past and the Epstein mess drags her down again. She's angry, but she's also frightened – scared of losing her place in the royal fold, frightened of being written off as tainted by association."

The Duchess, who underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2023 and was later diagnosed with melanoma, had appeared more confident and upbeat earlier this summer, attending Royal Ascot with her daughter Princess Beatrice. But insiders say the renewed scrutiny has left her "fragile."

"She's keeping up appearances, smiling for the cameras," said the source.

"But privately, she's a wreck. She talks about wanting to sell Royal Lodge, to just walk away, but she's scared of what life looks like beyond it. She says she's too old to reinvent herself again."

For now, Ferguson is said to be relying heavily on her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who are reportedly "deeply worried" about their mother's mental health.

"They know how much stress this puts on her recovery," the source said.

"But Sarah's a survivor. She always finds a way to keep smiling – even when she's trapped in a storm."