Sarah Ferguson promotes her new book in 2022

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Sarah Ferguson, affectionately known as Fergie, delivered a downcast assessment of her feelings when her sister Jane moved to Australia when she was still a teenager. It was the beginning of her family moving apart. The 63-year-old’s parents, Ronald Ferguson and Susan Wright married in 1956 but divorced 18 years later in 1974. With her mother moving to Argentina, and Jane to Australia, Fergie, who was 15 years old, was left to live in Britain with her father.

During an interview with the Telegraph, to discuss her upcoming historical fiction book, A Most Intriguing Lady, Fergie outlined the devastation that moves caused, and how this influenced her own relationship with her children.

As well as marrying Prince Andrew in the Eighties — a move which saw her become one of the world’s most recognisable women — Fergie is also well known for her role as mother to the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

When Fergie and Andrew separated in 1992 — Beatrice and Eugenie aged 2 and 4 years old respectively — the Duchess was desperate not to repeat what her parents did and wanted to make sure she and Andrew remained close to the girls. This was especially important to her when they reached their divorce settlement four years later, in 1996.

This ambition perhaps explains why, even though they are no longer in a relationship, the Duke and Duchess of York still share a home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Fergie noted her “abandonment”, and said: “That must be really bad for someone, mustn’t it? To have so much punishment? To be abandoned?

“But you know, I think that’s why I’m such a good mother.”

Fergie, who said she loved the life of being a “country gentry with a bit of old money”, was only 12 when Ronald and Susan split. A little while later, Susan was living with an Argentinian polo player.

“Why would your own mother leave you,” Fergie said. “Can you imagine it? So how could I possibly have managed?”

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Though she endured a difficult relationship with her own mother, when it came to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew’s mother, she felt as though she’d found someone who was closer to the maternal figure she craved.

Even in the dark days of her separation in 1992 — a year which the Queen described as her annus horribilis on account of three of her children splitting with their spouses — Her Majesty had words of comfort for the princess.

Fergie said: “She understood all of it. Everything. And it wasn’t even about forgiving, but a way of life. Duty, sense of purpose, but of course never judgment.”

The Duchess added: “But I’ve always admired and adored her. Really, she was more of a mother to me than my mother.”

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The nation, and her family, were plunged into mourning following the Queen’s death in 2022. Fergie joined Britain, the Commonwealth, and the world in remembering the monarch, and recalled how the Queen managed to balance lineage and duty expertly — something the Duchess of York wishes to maintain.

Speaking to PEOPLE magazine this month, she said: “A lot of my sense of duty was because I wanted to uphold exactly the way the Queen did it, and my father before that, and my mother before that.

“I do think that it’s your own value system that you have to uphold — and your own rule book of life.”

Among the gifts left to Fergie, her ex-husband, and daughters, were the Queen’s two surviving corgis, Sandy and Muick. And though happy to look after the dogs, she admitted to “panicking” at protecting the “national icons”.

She said: “They’re total joys, and I always think that when they bark at nothing, and there’s no squirrels in sight, I believe it’s because the Queen is passing by.”

When the sad news broke of Her Majesty’s passing, Fergie was among the millions to pay tribute to the figure, describing her “heartbreak” in an emotional Instagram post.

“She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the most fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness, and a constant steadying presence as our head of state for more than 70 years,” the royal wrote.

She continued: “She has given her whole life selflessly to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth.

“To me, she was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend. I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce. I will miss her more than words can express.”

A Most Intriguing Lady is published by Mills and Boon and is available here.

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