Sarah Ferguson says that not only did Queen Elizabeth approve of her career as a historical romance author, but the late monarch even provided some of the inspiration behind her fictional characters.
The Duchess of York attended the Henley Literary Festival in Henley-on-Thames in the United Kingdom this week, during which she was interviewed about her newfound passion for the written word. During that conversation, she revealed that she embarked on this journey to become an author with the queen’s full blessing, per The Telegraph. Ferguson told the audience that her late mother-in-law was a “wonderful friend” and “the finest ever icon,” calling her “legendary” and “incredible” before adding that the two corgis she inherited from her after her death last month are well-trained “national treasures.”
The former wife of Prince Andrew explained that she had given Queen Elizabeth copies of her 2021 novel, Her Heart for a Compass, in both English and French. “It’s been all my life that I’ve known the boss and there’s no one like her,” Ferguson told the festival crowd. “I wouldn’t do anything unless the boss gave me her blessing though, and still to this day, I think about that.” The Duchess went on to call herself “the luckiest person alive…no question” that she had the opportunity to know the late queen and have her in her life. And when asked if there were any real-life women in particular who had served as inspiration for her literary characters, she added, “There’s no question about it, mine is my mother-in-law.” Ferguson continued, “When we wrote the book, I gave it to the boss and I said, ‘You don’t need to read it.’ But I think she was so proud that we did it. And that’s just huge for me. She was just very, very special. I gave it to her in French as well. And then, when I went to Italy she said, ‘Don’t give it to me in Italian because I don’t read Italian.’ But she did read French.”
The Duchess of York also addressed the recent funeral, explaining that she had been “glued” to the grandchildren’s vigil and was silently sending positive thoughts to them all, hoping no one would fall over. During the public service, the eight grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth chose to honor her memory by paying tribute to her with the first vigil of its kind in British history, led by Prince William with his brother, Prince Harry. “They were so brave,” Ferguson said. “ And little James and Louise, all the grandchildren were incredible.” She concluded that while she will miss speaking with the queen “every single day,” “I think if we can uphold her values and uphold what she’s built for 70 years, I think we’re doing a good job. And I think kindness and humility, loyalty, and all the good things…and always remember, manners.”
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