Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)AFTER the much-criticised TV programme about her time spent on a council estate in Manchester, this is one estate the Duchess of York must have felt more comfortable on.
Sitting in the hills above the millionaires’ playground of Sotogrande, the six-bedroom mansion is the perfect place to hide out after her drubbing over the documentary Duchess on the Estate.
She was said to be inconsolable after being criticised for attempting to give sage advice to struggling working class people on the Northern Moor estate.
It was naturally not long before Fergie took off for somewhere to get over her ITV show pain.
And Sotogrande, for its polo tournaments and yachting in August, has been a regular fixture for the mother-of-two over recent years.
In fact, the only real surprise about her choice of holiday was that she brought along her former husband Prince Andrew.
It is the first time the divorcees have taken a holiday together without their children, Beatrice, 21, and Eugenie, 19.
They rented the secluded mansion in an exclusive enclave overlooking the village of San Enrique de Guadiaro, sitting in the hills above the coast.
Surrounded by 150 hectares of woodland, lakes and fragrant pine trees, it has a high electric gate and a mile-long drive.
Valued recently at 40 million euros, it also conveniently has its own polo ground, enormous swimming pool and separate staff quarters.
One stunned royal watcher revealed: “It is absolutely unprecedented. They have never gone away à deux before. This is very peculiar. I don’t know what it means, but it will set tongues wagging.”
Indeed, it is an extraordinary situation, even for two people described as ‘the world’s happiest unmarried couple’ by daughters Beatrice, 21, and Eugenie, 19.
It is especially so given that Sarah is supposed to be in a two-year relationship with Findus frozen food tycoon Geir Frantzen and Andrew has a parade of pretty young women at his beck and call.
“It is absolutely unprecedented. They have never gone away à deux before. This is very peculiar. I don’t know what it means, but it will set tongues wagging.”
In truth, Andrew and Sarah, both 49, have never made any secret of their post-marital amicability.
As well as sharing a home, they have been known to take annual family holidays with their daughters.
Beatrice and Eugenie are, however, currently being entertained by Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island, his private holiday resort in the Caribbean.
According to reports, Andrew and Sarah fell in love with the house, which is owned by the family of a French businessman who died last year, because it offers almost complete privacy.
Rumours suggested that the couple were not paying for the home, in exchange for helping to find a buyer from among their rich friends.
