Columnist Andrew Lownie claims Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, knew in advance about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's plan to move back to Britain and timed her own return to the UK accordingly, after seven months spent living discreetly across Europe and the Gulf states. According to Lownie's sources, Ferguson likely learned of the Sussexes' plans either from her daughter Princess Eugenie or directly from Meghan, with whom she shares a strained relationship with Buckingham Palace and a history of leveraging her royal title commercially.

The piece links Ferguson's discreet movements to Princess Eugenie's recent birth of a third child, Adelaide Elizabeth Annina Brooksbank, in Portugal, where Ferguson reportedly sought but was denied unrestricted access to the Brooksbanks' home. It also notes that Ferguson's return draws public attention away from scrutiny of her finances, including reliance on money linked to the late F1 tycoon Paddy McNally, who died in July aged 88, while media focus this autumn is expected to centre on the Sussexes' house-hunting and schooling plans in the Cotswolds.