Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has said she will not judge Prince Harry and wife Meghan on their decision to move to the US and publicise their lives.
The duchess, who is often referred to as Fergie, said the US and its people helped her during her divorce from Prince Andrew.
“I believe very strongly that I have absolutely no judgment on any other person's life, and I look at how much she [Meghan] loves him [Harry] and loves the children and gives him a love that he's never had before,” she said.
The depth of the Duchess of York's relationship with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has raised questions in the past over different memories the two have shared.
Meghan has said that the Duchess of York taught her how to curtsy before she met Queen Elizabeth II for the first time. Sarah has said she does not “really know” and hasn't “really met” Meghan.
The Duchess of York, who is also an author and charity founder, was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 1996 and declared royal life was “not a fairy tale”.
“I divorced, went to America, wrote a book, went on Oprah and did 12 years as the longest-running spokesperson of Weight Watchers,” she said on Tuesday.
“I looked to America to support me and to help me and I really can't thank the American people enough for what they gave me and what they did for me.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stopped being senior working royals in 2020. They were also interviewed by Winfrey in March 2021, when allegations of racism came to light.
A six-part Netflix series titled Harry & Meghan came out in December 2022 before the release of Prince Harry's memoir Spare, which also contained a string of revelations.
Sarah also spoke about Prince Harry and Meghan's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as well as Prince Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in August 1997.
“The most important thing is that the sun will come up tomorrow and the day will move on,” she said. “Diana would be so very proud of Archie and Lili. She would have adored every moment of it.”
The Duchess of York has most recently co-written her second historical romance novel with Marguerite Kaye, who has written more than 50 Mills & Boon books.
A Most Intriguing Lady is inspired by Sarah's relative, Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, who in the fictional tale is born into the highest society, fighting to define her place in life.
