Sarah Ferguson's Legal Dispute Over Mortgage

In 2021, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and Prince Andrew reached a legal settlement to resolve a dispute over unpaid payments related to their Swiss ski property, Chalet Helora, located in Verbier, Switzerland. The issue had emerged publicly in May 2020 when the chalet’s former owner, Isabelle de Rouvre, filed a lawsuit alleging that the couple had failed to complete agreed payments following the property’s purchase. The Duke and Duchess of York had acquired the seven-bedroom luxury chalet in 2014 for approximately £18 million. The purchase was partly financed through a mortgage of around £13.25 million, with an additional cash installment scheduled for payment by January 2020. According to court filings, this final installment was not paid on time, leading to mounting interest and increasing the outstanding amount to approximately £6.7 million by the time legal proceedings began. As the dispute progressed, both parties entered negotiations to resolve the matter outside of prolonged litigation. In late 2021, a settlement agreement was reached in which Isabelle de Rouvre accepted a reduced payment of approximately £3.4 million. Reports indicated that this figure was agreed upon after representations were made regarding the couple’s financial situation at the time. To facilitate the settlement and address the remaining financial obligations, the Duchess of York and Prince Andrew agreed to sell Chalet Helora. The sale process concluded in 2022, formally bringing an end to the legal dispute and closing the chapter on their ownership of the Verbier property. #SarahFerguson #PrinceAndrew #ChaletHelora #Verbier #RoyalFamily #LegalSettlement