FERGIE 'SET TO FLEE UK' OVER EPSTEIN SCANDAL

SARAH Ferguson is ready to flee Britain amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, friends say.

- BY MIKE PARKER

They claim a guest suite is being prepared for the former Duchess of York at a £3.6million oceanfront villa in Portugal owned by daughter Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank.

One near-neighbour of the gated CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club in Melides, 82 miles south of Lisbon, said: "The word here is that Fergie will be arriving some time in January. How long she'll stay is anyone's guess but if it's a long-term move, I can guarantee she'll fit well into the social scene.

"Scores of celebrities and Hollywood stars have been snapping up properties in the area." These include Madonna and Scarlett Johansson, along with Swedish Oscar winner Alicia Vikander and her actor husband Michael Fassbender.

Nicole Kidman recently applied for Portuguese residency following her split from country star Keith Urban.

The former Duchess of York is facing the bleak prospect of being made homeless when she and ex-husband Andrew MountbattenWindsor part ways early in the New Year after being forced to leave their current Royal Lodge home in Windsor. Andrew will be moving alone to a property on the Royal Family's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.