Latest news with #DuchessofYork
News24
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Fergie claims the late queen ‘talks to her' through her corgis
The Duchess of York believes the late Queen's corgis are more than just pets – they're messengers from beyond the grave.. Sarah 'Fergie'Ferguson adopted the dogs, Muick and Sandy, with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, following the queen's death in September 2022. 'Every morning they come in and go 'woof woof' and all that and I'm sure it's her talking to me,' the 65-year-old author and speaker said in an address at the Creative Women Platform in London. 'I'm sure it's her, reminding me she's still around.' She and the queen enjoyed a close friendship and she says she continues to honour her memory in every way she can. 'I had the greatest honour to be her daughter-in-law. That's pretty huge,' Fergie said proudly. Even something as simple as spotting the queen's name on the Elizabeth line while riding the Tube pulls at her heartstrings. 'I want everyone to remember what an amazing lady she was.' While she and Andrew divorced in 2003, they continue to live together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor. Muick was a gift from Andrew to his mom, along with a Dorgi pup named Fergus, in 2021 to help cheer her up while her husband, the late Prince Philip, was in hospital. Fergus sadly died a few months later from a heart defect he was born with. In an interview with Hello! magazine, Fergie spoke of her love for the pooches. 'They are such joys. I am dog-mad, and they are exceptional.' Sandy, in particular, seems to have fully adopted Sarah as his new queen. 'Sandy follows me everywhere, I think he thinks I am the queen,' she joked. In an interview with the UK's Sunday Times last year, Fergie opened up about her close bond with Her Majesty, saying she called her 'mumma'. She revealed how the queen supported her after her own mom, Sarah Barrantes, left her in the UK to start a new life in Argentina with her second husband, Héctor Barrantes Sansoni. 'My mum was her close friend so she knew me all my life and she loved me,' she shared. 'The queen was much more my mother than my mother was. She never let me down, even if I let her down. Even through the darkest days, she never left me.' Fergie also credits the late monarch for helping her deal with poor self-esteem amid postnatal depression and body-shaming comments from the public during her time in the public eye.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Princess Eugenie reflects on her scoliosis diagnosis and spinal surgery
Princess Eugenie has opened up about her childhood scoliosis surgery while visiting a hospital in support of patients with spinal injuries. The 35-year-old royal, a patron of Horatio's Garden, which creates peaceful garden spaces for spinal injury patients, visited the charity's Salisbury District Hospital location this week. 'Horatio's Garden's mission is to reach every spinal injuries unit in the UK. I'm happy to be on that journey with them. It needs to happen,' she told the Telegraph. Princess Eugenie - who is 12th in line to the throne - then reflected on her own surgery at age 12 and recalled her recovery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, where she spent 10 days on her back after surgeons inserted titanium rods into her spine to correct curvature caused by scoliosis. 'I couldn't get out of bed or do anything for myself', she said, adding that she felt 'very embarrassed' ahead of the operation and later struggled with the emotional impact of post-surgery care. It was four months before she was able to return to school. She also spoke about the emotional impact of surgery, recalling how it was her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, who helped her see her surgical scar as a 'badge of honour'. Eugenie said: 'She'd (Sarah) turn me around and say, 'my daughter is superhuman, you've got to check out her scar'.' At her 2018 wedding, Eugenie wore a dress that revealed her scar to raise awareness of scoliosis. Eugenie said she often received messages from anxious parents whose children are about to undergo spinal surgery, and she makes a point of offering encouragement and reassurance to help them through the experience. She added: 'I tell them not to feel ashamed, not just of the scar but of the whole experience; bed pans, the lot.' Now a working mother of two, Eugenie juggles charity work alongside her role at international gallery Hauser & Wirth and said she and sister Beatrice feel a strong sense of duty to help others because of guidance from their grandmother, the late Queen. She said: 'My mum always taught me that giving back to others is the most important thing in life. 'Bea and I feel very strongly about this. 'My grandmother's sense of duty was also instilled from a young age; we watched my parents, my granny and other family members working very hard.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Princess Eugenie opens up about childhood back surgery
Princess Eugenie has said she "couldn't get out of bed or do anything for myself" while recovering after scoliosis surgery as a child. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, the King's niece opened up about her surgery, saying that she felt "very embarrassed" ahead of the operation and later struggled with the emotional impact of post-surgery care. Surgeons inserted titanium rods into her spine to correct a curvature caused by scoliosis when she was 12 years old and she spent 10 days on her back after the operation. She said that her mother, the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, helped her see the post-surgery scar on her back as a "badge of honour". Scoliosis is a condition where the spine twists and curves to the side. The cause of it is often unknown, and commonly starts in children aged between 10 and 15, according to the NHS. Eugenie was treated at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, in north London, and it was four months before she was able to return to school after it. "I had a corner room in the hospital with two windows looking out over a car park," the 35-year-old said. "I was too young to notice I couldn't get outside; all I cared about was where my parents and sister were. "But I do remember watching someone waving to my incredible red-haired nurse through the window and having this feeling that I couldn't reach them," she said. "I couldn't get out of bed or do anything for myself." Speaking about how she felt ahead of the operation, she said she felt "very embarrassed about the whole thing". "I remember being woken up really early before my surgery – I pulled my blanket over my head. I said: 'I don't want to see anyone and I don't want them to see me'," she said. The operation left a visible scar on her back and she said her mother helped to "train" her brain to think that "scars are cool". "She was amazing. She'd ask me if she could show it to people, then she'd turn me around and say, 'my daughter is superhuman, you've got to check our her scar'," Eugenie said. "All of sudden it was a badge of honour – a cool thing I had," she added. "It became a positive memory, a part of me, that I could do something with in the future. I could help heal other people." The princess's wedding dress in 2018 showed the scar at the top of her back and ahead of the wedding, she spoke of the importance of showing "people your scars". Speaking to ITV's This Morning at the time, she described it as a "lovely way to honour the people who looked after me and a way of standing up for young people who also go through this". "I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that," she added. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here. 'I wanted wedding dress to show my scar'
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Princess Eugenie speaks about childhood scoliosis surgery
Princess Eugenie has said she "couldn't get out of bed or do anything for myself" while recovering after scoliosis surgery as a an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, the King's niece opened up about her surgery, saying that she felt "very embarrassed" ahead of the operation and later struggled with the emotional impact of post-surgery inserted titanium rods into her spine to correct a curvature caused by scoliosis when she was 12 years old and she spent 10 days on her back after the said that her mother, the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, helped her see the post-surgery scar on her back as a "badge of honour". Scoliosis is a condition where the spine twists and curves to the side. The cause of it is often unknown, and commonly starts in children aged between 10 and 15, according to the was treated at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, in north London, and it was four months before she was able to return to school after it."I had a corner room in the hospital with two windows looking out over a car park," the 35-year-old said. "I was too young to notice I couldn't get outside; all I cared about was where my parents and sister were."But I do remember watching someone waving to my incredible red-haired nurse through the window and having this feeling that I couldn't reach them," she said."I couldn't get out of bed or do anything for myself."Speaking about how she felt ahead of the operation, she said she felt "very embarrassed about the whole thing"."I remember being woken up really early before my surgery – I pulled my blanket over my head. I said: 'I don't want to see anyone and I don't want them to see me'," she operation left a visible scar on her back and she said her mother helped to "train" her brain to think that "scars are cool". "She was amazing. She'd ask me if she could show it to people, then she'd turn me around and say, 'my daughter is superhuman, you've got to check our her scar'," Eugenie said."All of sudden it was a badge of honour – a cool thing I had," she added."It became a positive memory, a part of me, that I could do something with in the future. I could help heal other people."The princess's wedding dress in 2018 showed the scar at the top of her back and ahead of the wedding, she spoke of the importance of showing "people your scars".Speaking to ITV's This Morning at the time, she described it as a "lovely way to honour the people who looked after me and a way of standing up for young people who also go through this"."I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that," she added. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Princess Eugenie tells of her childhood scoliosis surgery
Princess Eugenie has opened up about her experience of scoliosis surgery as a child amid her ongoing support for patients with spinal injuries. The 35-year-old is patron of Horatio's Garden, a charity that creates peaceful garden spaces for spinal injury patients, and visited the charity's garden at Salisbury District Hospital this week. In an interview with the Telegraph, she reflected on her spinal surgery at age 12, and expressed strong support for the charity's work. She said: 'Horatio's Garden's mission is to reach every spinal injuries unit in the UK. I'm happy to be on that journey with them. It needs to happen.' The princess, 12th in line to the throne, recalled her own recovery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, where she spent 10 days on her back after surgeons inserted titanium rods into her spine to correct curvature caused by scoliosis. She told the Telegraph: 'I couldn't get out of bed or do anything for myself', adding that she felt 'very embarrassed' ahead of the operation and later struggled with the emotional impact of post-surgery care. It was four months before she was able to return to school. She also spoke about the emotional impact of surgery, recalling how it was her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, who helped her see her surgical scar as a 'badge of honour'. Eugenie said: 'She'd (Sarah) turn me around and say, 'my daughter is superhuman, you've got to check out her scar'.' At her 2018 wedding, Eugenie wore a dress that revealed her scar to raise awareness of scoliosis. Eugenie said she often received messages from anxious parents whose children are about to undergo spinal surgery, and she makes a point of offering encouragement and reassurance to help them through the experience. She added: 'I tell them not to feel ashamed, not just of the scar but of the whole experience; bed pans, the lot.' Now a working mother of two, Eugenie juggles charity work alongside her role at international gallery Hauser & Wirth and said she and sister Beatrice feel a strong sense of duty to help others because of guidance from their grandmother, the late Queen. She said: 'My mum always taught me that giving back to others is the most important thing in life. 'Bea and I feel very strongly about this. 'My grandmother's sense of duty was also instilled from a young age; we watched my parents, my granny and other family members working very hard.'
