Why Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson, Duchess of York, is back in Australia
A high-profile royal who has endured her share of criticism has shared her “simple solution” to battling “cruel comments” as she returns to Australia.
Lifestyle
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When Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, Duchess of York, thinks of Australia, there is one word that perfectly sums it up.
In an exclusive interview, the royal revealed her unwavering adoration for the land down under and affectionately described Australia as a “haven”.
She also delved into some of the issues facing young women today and powerfully called out ruthless social media bullies for their “cruel comments” online.
The Duchess is back on our shores this week to attend the Global Citizen NOW summit in Melbourne from March 4 – 6, which is seeking to drive urgent action to end extreme poverty and address the climate crisis in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Australia feels like a home away from home to me,” the 64-year-old Royal told News.com.au.
“My sister Jane has lived here for decades, so I have visited many times over the years. I have so many memories of wonderful moments.
“I remember the excitement of going to the Melbourne Cup with my mother, for example. I’m excited to be back again to make new memories.
“I love the Aussie outlook on life and of course I adore your incredible landscapes and wildlife, which are like nothing you see in Europe.
“Australia has often been a haven for me. One thing I particularly like is that there is no culture of building people up in order to knock them down again later, which you see elsewhere.”
Ferguson will be joined at the summit by hundreds of other leading voices, famous personalities and political figures, including actor Hugh Jackman as well as musicians Crowded House and Charlie Puth.
The 27th Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, will also be in attendance, along with Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, and Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, who will be joining virtually.
The Global Citizen NOW summit will focus on discussing five key points, including the world’s climate crisis, gender inequality, strengthening health systems, the global food crisis and youth-driven entrepreneurship.
Reflecting on her own life, the Duchess of York explained that having grandchildren has changed her perspective on life and caused her to worry more than ever about the state of the world.
‘Doesn’t look great’: Fears for grandchildren’s future
Ferguson, who is the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is mother to Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 33, as well as grandmother to Sienna, August and Ernest.
“Becoming a grandmother has really changed my outlook on life,” she revealed.
“I have always loved nature and the great outdoors, but now I find myself reflecting on what sort of world we are going to leave to our grandchildren’s generation.
“Let’s be honest, it doesn’t look great, does it? So far, my generation has failed to take the big decisions necessary to safeguard the future of the planet, to the point that scientists are telling us the changes we are seeing to our climate and biodiversity are becoming irreversible.
“I really hope we can take global, concerted action to change things. We have a responsibility to do so.
“That’s one of the issues I hope to be talking about at the Global Citizen NOW summit in Melbourne.”
With International Women’s Day coming up on March 8, the Duchess of York spoke about what she believes to be some of the major issues affecting women and girls in 2024.
“I want to empower girls and women around the world,” Ferguson explained.
“The mother-daughter relationship is at the heart of that. In countries where women haven’t been educated, we want them to fight for their daughters to have the chances that they didn’t.
“125 million children worldwide are not in education. In particular girls, children with disabilities, children on the streets and those living in remote or emergency-affected places are being left behind.
“We shouldn’t stand by and let this continue. In a world of growing prosperity for many, without access to education, the gap between the world’s most marginalised children and the rest will widen.
“Ensuring all children have access to education and the resources they need to learn is the most effective way of lifting their family, their community and their country out of poverty for good.”
Ferguson also reflected on the unique role Australia has to play in addressing climate change.
“You have so many treasures to protect,” she said.
“I know there are new targets on emissions in place now in line with what other countries are doing, which is good to see. This is important because Australia is also a nation where the effects of climate change have become horribly obvious.
“Australia is seeing more extreme heat, droughts, floods, and longer fire seasons because of climate change.”
‘Put your name on it’: Duchess hits out at social media ‘sewer’
Facing a lot of public and media scrutiny over the years as a high-profile member of the Royal Family, there are few people as well versed in the art of remaining resilient through tough times.
With the world being more social media driven than ever before, we asked the Duchess of York what her advice would be to younger girls who might be dealing with judgement and pressures online.
Stating that much of social media was a “sewer”, Ferguson called for anonymity to be waived online so that any bullies would have to put their names to the cruel things they post.
“Let’s be straightforward about it. A lot of social media is a sewer and it exposes young people to a dark side of the internet that they should not be exposed to.” she said.
“Half of all teenagers say they have been bullied or harassed online. A lot of people seem to feel entitled to say things to others online that they would not dream of saying in real life.
“People in the public eye are subjected to cruel comments about their appearance, for example. But I think this affects everyone using social media.
“Much of it seems to be a very angry place. My solution is simple: I think we’ve had enough of anonymity online, except in some very special circumstances.
“If you want to say something, be brave enough to put your name to it.”
Ferguson surprised onlookers back in December after making her first Christmas Day church service appearance with the Royal Family in over three decades.
She joined Prince Andrew, their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and other relatives including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton for the annual Christmas service walk to St Mary Magdalene Church.
Ferguson had not been seen at the event since her split from Prince Andrew in 1992.
The Royal took to Instagram shortly after her Sandringham appearance to post a heartfelt picture herself, Beatrice and Eugenie, with a caption about feeling “grateful” in what appeared to be a subtle nod to her inclusion.
In June 2023, it was revealed that the Duchess of York was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a “successful major operation” after being admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in central London.
Ferguson was then diagnosed with skin cancer just six months later in January 2024.
The Royal had multiple moles removed and analysed by dermatologists during reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy, and one of the moles was found to be cancerous.
A spokesperson stated that she was in “good spirits” despite the “distressing” diagnosis.
“Following her diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer this summer, Sarah, Duchess of York has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma,” the statement read.
“The Duchess wants to thank the entire medical team which has supported her, particularly her dermatologist whose vigilance ensured the illness was detected when it was.
“She believes her experience underlines the importance of checking the size, shape, colour and texture and emergence of new moles that can be a sign of melanoma.
“She is undergoing further investigations to ensure that this has been caught in the early stages.
“Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after treatment for breast cancer has been distressing, but the Duchess remains in good spirits.”
Originally published as Why Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson, Duchess of York, is back in Australia
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