Sarah Ferguson Recalls Queen Elizabeth's Touching Final Words Of Wisdom For Her
Sarah Ferguson has had a tumultuous relationship with the royal family, to say the least. Her short-lived, scandal-ridden marriage to Prince Andrew would cement the redhead as one of the most notorious women in the entire world. Ferguson, also known as Fergie, has been on the outs with the royal family for years, as evidenced by her not receiving an invite to the 2011 wedding of William and Catherine, now the Prince and Princess of Wales. But her relationship with the royal family took a positive turn in recent years, resulting in the much-talked-about friendship between her and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Now, nearly a year after the Queen's death, Fergie has revealed what the ailing monarch's final words to her were. In Season One's concluding episode of Fergie's podcast "Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah," the Duchess of York said her former mother-in-law gave her a good piece of advice. "It's the last thing that the Queen said to me: 'Just be yourself, Sarah,'" Fergie said.
She admitted the Queen would get annoyed with her
Though there's definitely a rocky history between Sarah Ferguson and Queen Elizabeth, it's clear that Fergie and the Queen had a loving relationship in the end. Fergie has called Queen Elizabeth the "most incredible" mother-in-law, and she and Prince Andrew were entrusted with caring for the Queen's famous Corgis upon the monarch's death (via Vanity Fair). The Queen's final words to Fergie are another sign that she only wanted what was best for her former daughter-in-law, a sentiment that Fergie further elaborated on in her podcast.
"And she saw it. She just got so annoyed when I wasn't being myself," the Duchess of York admitted. "And that's probably when I got into all the pickles. But now I am myself, and I'm just so lucky to be able to be myself."
Strangely enough, Fergie has admitted that Queen Elizabeth's death has given her a newfound sense of freedom. "I don't know whether it's the Queen passing that makes me think I can now openly say what I want to say without worrying I'm going to offend somebody," the duchess said during an interview with Good Morning America in March. She added, "I'm really, truly authentic Sarah now."
The Queen was a mentor, idol, and mother to Sarah
Indeed, despite their complicated relationship, Sarah Ferguson had immense respect and admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth. While on an episode of the "Tea with Twiggy" podcast, the Duchess of York emphasized how significant her relationship with the Queen was to her, saying, "I think to myself that honestly, [the Queen] has been more of a mother to me than my mother. [She's] never faltered. I absolutely think there is no greater mentor."
The Duchess also sang the Queen's praises in an interview with People, saying that the monarch "just knew what to do. She knew how to make people feel good. She never took it onboard as about her. It's about the monarchy, about making someone feel good. She was my total idol." Ferguson recalled Queen Elizabeth II as having "the most incredible faith of any single person I've ever met," and this devotion to the Queen hasn't stopped after her passing. To this day, Ferguson upholds a promise she made to Queen Elizabeth before she died, that she would remain close to her ex-husband and disgraced son of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Andrew. And it's this faithful consistency that Ferguson admired so much in the late Queen.
"[Queen Elizabeth] leaves behind an extraordinary legacy," Ferguson tweeted following the news of the Queen's death. "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."