DUCHESS of York Sarah Ferguson gave a surprise interview to a Spanish reporter during a visit to Madrid in which she talked frankly about her relationship with the late Lady Diana, Princess of Wales.
The ex-wife of Queen Elizabeth II’s son Prince Andrew and mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – eighth and ninth in line to the British throne respectively – was in Spain for an event linked to the fight against obesity organised by one of the many charities she supports, is ambassador for, or has founded.
Whilst there, she spoke to presenter Emma García on her programme Viva la Vida.
Lady Diana, Princess of Wales was Sarah Ferguson’s ‘best friend’ and ‘a sister’, she revealed, despite the press having claimed prior to Diana’s death in August 1997 that the sisters-in-law got along ‘very badly’ and had ‘only minimal contact’ with each other.
‘Fergie’ insists this could not be farther from the truth, and that she misses her ‘soul sister’ now ‘every single day’.
At her daughter, Princess Eugenie of York’s wedding in 2018, one of Lady Di’s favourite songs, I Vow To Thee My Country, was played in her memory.
“We were two women who had fallen in love with two incredible princes,” Sarah revealed to Emma García.
She and Prince Andrew have always got along well after their amicable divorce, and Eugenie and Princess Beatrice continue to spend regular time with both of them.
In her autobiography, Sarah Ferguson revealed that Prince Andrew’s constantly being away on duty with the Royal Navy was what put a strain on their marriage and eventually ended it after 10 years.
“But Diana was always portrayed as a saint, and I, as a sinner,” she confessed on the programme.
She said she was branded a ‘deserter’ by the Royal family after her divorce, largely because of her well-publicised relationships and her spontaneous nature.
Sarah also spoke about the bullying she suffered in the tabloid press.
“They called me the Duchess of Pork,” she remembered.
“And they said 80% of people would prefer to sleep with a goat than with me. This was damaging.
“When a person is feeling depressed and discouraged, they eat. And I did that for many years – I became a comfort-eater. When life got difficult – and it still is – I was eating to compensate for my feelings.
“Bit by bit, I started to understand what this was doing to my life. It was damaging me, and it was as though I was completely lost.”
She explained to Emma García that, with the help of top nutritionist Gianluca Mech, she is following a high-protein diet and striving to live a healthy lifestyle.
Sarah Ferguson urges binge-eaters not to suffer in silence or to be afraid of talking about their problem, insisting that she is living proof that it can be overcome.
The above photograph, by Mugisha Don de Dieu on Wikimedia Commons, shows Sarah Ferguson in October 2017 in Rwanda during the official opening of the Gahanga Cricket Stadium.
