Sarah Ferguson marked her 67th birthday in a rented house: daughters Beatrice and Eugenie visit her in secret and are "very embarrassed"

Sixty-seven candles, and almost nothing left of her former life. Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, marked her birthday in a rented house on the outskirts of London. She has lost her royal status, left the home she lived in, been dropped by charities, and her circle of friends is considerably thinner. It all began to crumble once her ties to Jeffrey Epstein became public.

British commentators are calling this the worst year of her life. And she has spent it running from view. According to reports, she was spotted at a clinic in Switzerland, and also stayed at the ski chalet of her long-time friend and former partner Paddy McNally, who died in July aged 88. Then - a rented home, far from the palaces and the photographers.

The most painful part of the story is her daughters. Royal commentator Phil Dampier claims that both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have visited their mother there in recent weeks, but privately, with no announcement at all. "They are very embarrassed," he says, adding that the relationship between mother and daughters is no longer as close as it once was. Two grown women, members of the royal family, visiting their own mother as if heading to a secret meeting. That says enough about how quickly a name becomes a burden once it's linked to the wrong man.

Her former husband Andrew, who has also lost his title of prince, lives at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham estate. A source told The Times that Ferguson is "persona non grata" there. Why - officially, nobody knows. But the Epstein documents, according to reports, suggest it was she who introduced Andrew to Epstein. If so, the irony is brutal: the woman who brought Epstein into their lives is now not welcome even on her ex-husband's doorstep.

What next? According to Dampier, Ferguson is considering a tell-all book, a TV project or a business. She denies she is writing a book, but the commentator is convinced she will try to make a comeback. When the palace doors close, the story is the only capital left. The question is whether the public will want to hear her - or just a bit more about Epstein.