Sarah Ferguson Reveals How She Really Feels About Meghan And Harry
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been making headlines for years. Most recently, it's due to allegations against her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, and his involvement with the late Jeffrey Epstein (via the New York Post). Lawsuits and settlements that were once kept undercover are now coming to the surface, making the prince look guiltier with each new revelation.
However, Sarah (also known simply as Fergie) has decided to defend her ex-husband and close friend, with whom she shares two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
"I completely stand by Andrew 100 percent," she said (via the Daily Mail). "He is such a kind, great man, he is a brilliant father and now a fantastic grandfather. I feel very strongly that in this day and age that we must stand by our hearts, what we think is right with integrity and honor and loyalty."
Now, Sarah is making waves in the press for another reason: standing up for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Sarah Ferguson gives her support to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The aunt of Prince Harry shared her opinion recently regarding his relationship with Megan Markle (via Us Weekly). During an appearance on the Italian television show "Porta a Porta," Sarah Ferguson had nothing but kind words to say about her nephew and his wife, despite the drama that has gone down with the royal family since the couple chose to leave the U.K.
Sarah is proud to see Harry so happy, adding that his mother, the late Princess Diana, would be proud, too (via People). "The most important thing — and I know Diana, if she were here, would say that — is they are happy," she said. "And she makes him happy. And I love to see that little boy that cried at the funeral to have happiness now," she added, referencing the sad moment when Harry tearfully walked behind his mother's coffin during the public funeral procession.
The Duchess of York speaks from a place of love for Diana and her boys because the pair were especially close. She even affectionately called Diana "Duch." "We were best friends from when she was 14 and I was 15," Sarah previously told People.
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson had a complicated bond
While Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana were close, their friendship wasn't always easy. According to Town & Country, they had a fairly complicated relationship.
The two met before they each married into the royal family because Sarah and Diana were fourth cousins: They were both descendants of William Cavendish, Fourth Duke of Devonshire. Their mothers went to school together, so they knew each other growing up. While the cousins were friendly in their youth, they didn't become close until adulthood. Running in the same social circles, they reconnected when Diana was 19 and Sarah was 21, developing a tight bond.
Diana thought Sarah could be a perfect match for her brother-in-law (via Insider). "It was Diana who saw that Sarah could be the one for Andrew," wrote royal insider and author Nigel Cawthorne. "They both enjoy practical jokes and like a good time without being complicated or envious."
However, rumors began to swirl that Sarah and Diana were at odds with each other. "There probably was tension once Sarah was the Duchess of York and didn't have to rely on Diana as much as before," explains Cawthorne. "But when their marriages collapsed they both had a shoulder to cry on."
Fergie denies tension between herself and Diana
So, what exactly went down between Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana? In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Sarah shared her side of the story.
"I never knew the reason, except that once Diana got something in her head ... I tried, wrote letters, thinking whatever happened didn't matter, let's sort it out," she recalled. "And I knew she'd come back. In fact, the day before she died, she rang a friend of mine and said, 'Where's that Red? I want to talk to her.”'
That interview took place in 2007. However, in 2021, Sarah walked back what she previously said, stating that the two were not fighting at the time of Diana's death. "We promised each other we would always be together — there was never any daylight between us," she told People. "But everybody wanted [to see a feud] because we were so strong together. People want to break something so strong."
Whatever the truth may be, it seems that Sarah loved Diana through thick and thin — and continues to support her sons to this day, especially Prince Harry.