Prince Andrew’s ex-wife said Queen Elizabeth II was “very relieved” to have help during the turbulent time when her son faced sexual abuse allegations over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, who was married to Andrew from 1986 to 1996 and still lives with him in the grounds of Windsor Castle, spoke about her relationship with the late Queen and other members of the royal family in an interview with Britain’s The Daily TelegraphAdvertisement for her new romance novel.
Speaking about her ex-mother-in-law, with whom she was very close following her divorce, Fergie praised her ability to “dilute the mess completely and utterly.” And still keep going. And still smiling. And still go through everything they went through.”
One of the greatest times of chaos came after Andrews BBC 2019 news night Interview in which he was grilled about his relationships with Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and in which he attempted to quash allegations of sexual misconduct made by Virginia Giuffre.
Following the interview, which sparked outrage at the prince’s unrepentant attitude and attempts to discredit Giuffre’s claims, Andrew resigned from his royal work role, leading to his effective retirement.
In 2021, Giuffre filed an official lawsuit against the prince and he settled out of court in 2022, maintaining his sexual abuse denial, but only after his military patronage and use of his title HRH (His Royal Highness) were stripped .
Fergie, who shares two children with Andrew – Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – expressed her gratitude for having “even a minute from HM (the Queen)”, adding that the couple bonded during Andrew’s scandal may be.
“In the last three years [Andrew] went through such a turbulent time,” she said. “And I think HM was very relieved that I could help her with him, so we became even closer.”
Fergie has repeatedly spoken in media interviews in Andrew’s defense.
“I’m really sad to see what Andrew went through,” she said The Daily Telegraph. “[The queen] knew. I will always be there [for Andrew]. Always. Because I love her.”
The ex-queen has become a more prominent public figure in recent years after the duchess (she will retain her title of Duchess of York until her remarriage) was embarrassed when she was filmed in a media sting with cash in 2010 .
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, Fergie was photographed with Andrew viewing floral tributes at Windsor Great Park. She was also added to the invitation list for the monarch’s funeral, earning a prominent place behind the Prince and Princess of Wales.
During her interview, Fergie was asked about her relationship with Meghan Markle, which the Duchess mentioned in her 2021 meeting with Oprah Winfrey.
“I don’t really know Meghan. I haven’t actually met her. I spoke to her at the funeral and I thought she looked absolutely beautiful. I think she’s beautiful,” she said. “She made Harry very happy and that’s so nice. Honestly, he’s so happy with her. she really loves him And I think that’s beautiful – and that Diana would be proud of him and her lovely grandchildren.”
After watching the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries, Fergie added that she could be the latest queen to dedicate her life to the big screen.
“I’m an information eater on Netflix,” she said. “And I love watching everything on Netflix. I also think that one day I would like to make a documentary.”
Though she may follow the Sussexes when it comes to the idea of a documentary, it seems that the royal couple are following in Fergie’s ex-royal footsteps in some ways.
The Duchess became the first royal to take part in an in-depth interview with Oprah Winfrey about life behind the palace walls after their divorce in 1996. She also wrote a bombastic memoir exposing the machinations of the monarchy that reportedly led to a falling out with longtime friend Princess Diana.
In addition to her romance novels, Fergie has also written a number of children’s books and even tried her hand at a diet book in 1998 called: Diet with the Duchess.
James Crawford Smith is latestpagenewss royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and keep reading his stories latestpagenewss The Royals’ Facebook page.
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