Sarah Ferguson health update: 'Deeply troubled'

Sarah Ferguson, who has reportedly been staying at a clad chalet in a secluded Austrian resort near the exclusive Mayrlife health clinic, is said to be in great pain.

Since her departure from Royal Lodge in Windsor at the start of February, the former Duchess of York has been keeping a low profile.

A friend of Fergie has claimed: "I am not saying she is happy about the situation she is in; in fact, she is deeply troubled."

"Anyone who has been stripped of all her dignity would recognise that," another source added.

A separate source went on to claim, "She's going through a difficult phase of her life, she's facing health crisis."

Ferguson's choice of the Austrian ski village was not entirely surprising, as she had previously visited the Mayrlife resort on Lake Altaussee two years ago following her malignant melanoma diagnosis, when a two-week recuperative stay cost up to £6,700.

"The area is absolutely beautiful, and it's very quiet most of the time, so it's the perfect place for a high-profile figure such as her to lie low," a friend explained.

She is believed to have been occupying a two-bedroom woodland chalet designed for maximum privacy.

"She is going through a process, taking time out to recalibrate," one source said. "Everything has gone: title, home, purpose, the lot."

A close friend confirmed: "She has been in the same place all the time, lying low and trying to work out her next move."

One of Ferguson's circle said: “Sarah's still got friends looking out for her and some of them have the money to help her to continue to hide out. But she can't do that forever. This scandal is going to go on for years. Sooner or later she's going to have to face the music."

The 66-year-old former Duchess of York has endured significant backlash over her previous connection to Jeffrey Epstein, describe him  as her "supreme friend" and "the brother I have always wished for” in emails released in the files.

The friend told Richard Kay at The Daily Mail: “She's not been hiding exactly, it's just that she's not been found. She is in touch, not regularly but still contactable on her mobile phone. I send her messages from time to time asking how she is getting on and she always responds, if not immediately.”