Sarah Ferguson, Duchess Of York

[Martine]

Sarah on "Parkinson"


Michael Parkinson talks candidly to The Duchess of York, Gwyneth Paltrow, Eddie Izzard and Sting about love, loss and marriage
Parkinson, BBC ONE, Saturday 22 November at 9.30pm

On Saturday 22 September, Michael Parkinson introduces some of the most impressive guests ever to have appeared on his talk show.

He discusses depression with Sting, sexuality and cross-dressing with Eddie Izzard, and love and marriage with Gwyneth Paltrow and Sarah, Duchess of York.

Asked whether she plans to marry again in the future, The Duchess of York replies: "I'd like to. That would be wonderful."

As to whether or not she has anyone in mind, she tells Parkinson: "Not at the moment, no."

Later in the programme, Parkinson asks Gwyneth Paltrow, the Oscar winning actress of such films as Shakespeare in Love, Sliding Doors and The Talented Mr Ripley, whether she plans to get married.

"I don't know. I hope so," replies Paltrow. "To Chris Martin?" asks Parkinson. "I'm the wrong person to ask – ask him!"

Parkinson starts the programme by asking The Duchess of York whether she sees herself as a great survivor.

She answers: "I think I was in the ring. And when you're in the ring, it's tough – you take some heavy punches. And I guess I got out of the ring, dusted myself off and I'm here tonight."

Parkinson asks: "When was the moment you decided to fight back?"

The Duchess of York replies: "A lot of people grow up quickly and learn quickly. I think I took a long time to grow up. I'm here tonight, knowing that I've got inner strength and I can do it. I think it was just putting my mind over my other person. I had to be myself and I can do it."

She tells Parkinson of the moment when she heard on the radio the erroneous story that she was to sell her two children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to the Royal Family for £3 million. She was in the gym at the time:

"Everyone in the gym looked at me and pointed their finger. They looked at me as though I would do that. I said to myself, 'I can't go on'."

On the subject of money, Parkinson asks how she could have accumulated such massive debts, rumoured by some to be in the region of £4 million.

The Duchess of York replies: "We all experience so much in life. A lot of the way my life went was experimenting with what I was doing. I ate a lot and my life seemed to get out of control.

"In every way, it went out of control. I was there, suddenly taken from a completely private life into public life and I didn't understand the boundaries.

"The bottom line is that when I was in the Royal Family I experimented, I pushed against the obstacles and tried to fight them the best way I could."

She admits that life in the Royal Family was tough: "It's a dream for every child to become a member of the Royal Family. In hindsight it would have been better to learn how it all is before you go in and not learn when you're in it."

Parkinson asks: "Why didn't they like you?"

"I think they did like me," says The Duchess. "I just needed my edges polished off a little bit. I needed to really understand what I was doing. Perhaps I didn't understand the rules. And there are many rules. The Monarchy is a wonderful thing and I fully respect it. Her Majesty is an utterly wonderful woman."

Parkinson asks how she felt being labelled "pointless" by Prince Philip.

"He's entitled to his opinion and I probably was pointless at that time. But I'm not now. We look back and realise that we would have done things differently."

Parkinson then asks why she and HRH The Duke of York got divorced.

"I'd run up a lot of debts and I needed to get out to work. You can't be a member of the Royal Family and work," she answers.

Parkinson asks: "Is that really why you got divorced?"

"Andrew and I had our differences," reveals The Duchess. "We are really steadfast in our parenting to our two girls, Beatrice and Eugenie. Our unity in our parenting has worked."

Parkinson: "Did you give in too easily?"

"Probably," she admits. "I think we would have always got divorced. I'm one of these people who believes very strongly in my inner strength, and I've got to go forward with what I believe. And I do believe very much that women have a role in this world and I do believe that we should be listened to more."

Parkinson asks whether these views were incompatible with life in the the Royal Family?

"I don't know," says The Duchess. "I can't speak for them. I respect Andrew and admire him – he's a good father."

She goes on to reveal the pain and the hurt she felt when her weight increased: "When you go out of control, you overspend, overeat and do a lot of things. You overindulge in lots of ways. Weight and food become the symptoms of your unhappiness, and so you eat to compensate for your feelings.

"Mud sticks and it hurts. It really hurts. You really think that nobody wants to be with you. I took the children to school and people would walk on the other side of the road.

"I can't look back with bitterness, because I don't know that word. It is extraordinary, but at the time it happened I believed it – I believed the press, I believed it to be true.

"But I'm so proud that I'm here today. Because it really is important that at 44 I can stand up here and say, 'It's okay'."

Parkinson asks whether she is now content.

"I'm pretty proud of Sarah Ferguson now," she answers. "My children are a great credit to me. They have showed me that I'm a good mother. They are very special. I keep going back to my children because I think I learn so much from them."

Turning finally to the Royal Family, Parkinson asks for her opinions about the latest round of scandal and intrigue which has plagued the Monarchy in recent weeks.

"When you are on the public stage, everyone says, 'Get on with it'. But trickery and betrayal don't come into the equation. What we've seen recently has, quite frankly, been disgraceful. I really don't think anyone quite understands what they're doing by writing this.

"The Royal Family do a great job, they really do. They will regret it if they go on hurting them."

The actor and comedian Eddie Izzard comes down the legendary Parkinson steps in full drag and Sting talks about his candid biography, Broken Music, and sings Whenever I Say Your Name and When We Dance live in the studio.

Next week, in the final programme of the current series, Parkinson welcomes Victoria Beckham, David Bowie, Clive James and Fleetwood Mac.

Parkinson is on BBC ONE on Saturday 22 November at 9.30pm.

Parkinson is produced by Danny Dignan. The executive producer is Beatrice Ballard.

[Martine]

A pic from the "Parkinson" show

[olivia_windsor]

more beautiful than before

[Martine]

Originally posted by olivia_windsor@Nov 24th, 2003 - 8:14 am
more beautiful than before

yeh Sarah looks good in the "parkinson" pic.........

She's really a beautiful woman and i think she has a lot of class now

I like this outfit too (much better than the last ones :P )

[Binny]

From The Mirror - :flower:

FERGIE MAKES HER POINT WITH NO COMPLAINTS Nov 26 2003

A YOUNG Sarah Ferguson, the scatty, troublesome and gracelessly podgy member of the royal family, was once described by her ex father-in-law as "pointless''.

Sometimes the most cruel, cack-handed and ignorant comments can trigger, in some people, the determination to become victor not victim.

Judging by her appearance on Parkinson at the weekend, Prince Philip only did Fergie a lot of favours.

Ten years ago she wore Laura Ashley prints and looked like a jolly, rosy-cheeked milkmaid, pretty but hardly princess material. Today she's an elegant size ten with the poise of Grace Kelly, the assurance of a young Queen Noor and a multi-millionairess in her own right.

Not bad for a woman once the size of a small country with a spending habit that made Elton John look thrifty.

You could call Fergie a lot of things but, even Prince Philip would have to concede now, pointless is not one of them. It takes a lot to make the quantum leap from underdog to top cat but Fergie's achieved the impossibly difficult task of rehabilitating herself with the British public, who don't suffer fools gladly.

To her credit, she understood the only way to face down savage criticism and wicked put-downs was to get out of the firing line, pick herself up and get on with making a life with daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

In America, where she would cause least embarrassment to the royals, she's earned fortunes by fronting WeightWatchers. And quietly, at home, she's shed four stone, forged a happy alliance with the father of her girls and stuck herself behind a computer to write children's books.

She may not be the next JK Rowling but credit to her. She's kept her counsel, refused to cast the blame on anyone for her troubles or put herself in the position of going cap in hand to the former in-laws for financial support.

Parkinson drew her dangerously close to condemning the royal family for the mess she became after marriage to Prince Andrew. But she refused to enter into a slanging match and sang the praises of the monarchy - despite the fact she was treated, along with Diana, as an insufferable thorn in their side.

During her divorce settlement it seemed, at one point, she'd be left without a roof over her head. And still she's ostracised from royal events; at Christmas her daughters will enjoy lunch with the family at Sandringham while she stays alone in an estate cottage. Memorably, after one visit, she was handed a bill for the use of light bulbs and loo rolls.

When she held a memorial service after the death of her mother, Susan Barrantes, senior royals snubbed the occasion. It takes some strength of character not to crack in the face of such hostility, and perhaps the hardest thing Fergie's had to do is hold her tongue and not pass the buck or whinge about the treatment meted out to her.

She tends to talk in psychobabble and therapy speak but she has enough nous to recognise self-pity is a futile exercise which earns no respect. It's a lesson Michael Barrymore should have learned when he bleated endlessly about his pain and suffering over the death of Stuart Lubbock.

The British public will only welcome with open arms anyone prepared to shoulder some of the blame, accept they've made mistakes, swear to learn from them and move on.

Talking on Parky, it was made crystal clear by Fergie just how mindbending the pressures of living in the goldfish bowl of royalty can be. But, unlike Diana, she admits it was partly her own inability to cope which caused her to binge on doughnuts and indulge in maniacal spending sprees.

How easy it would have been for Fergie to complain life's not fair or berate the royals for ruining hers. Instead, she took it on herself to be cheerleader for the monarchy, rousing the audience into applause for the House of Windsor.

Pointless, Prince Philip?

How the tide has turned.

[Martine]

Kate makes shortlist with Duchess of York


The literary skills of a Telford teenager were put to the test when she joined the Duchess of York to help judge a prestigious book prize.
Kate Clarke, 14, of Dawley Bank, Telford was one of six teenagers to join Sarah Ferguson on the British Airways London Eye to judge the teen category of the WH Smith people's choice book awards.
Kate was chosen after entering a competition for which she had to write a 50-word review of her favourite book.

The panel had to whittle 10 books down to a shortlist of five, which the public will start voting for in January.

The winner will eventually be announced at an awards ceremony in March 2004.

"It was an honour to work with such savvy teenagers and we enjoyed debating which of the 10 books should make it on to the shortlist," said the Duchess.

"I was impressed. They had clearly devoured each book and were able to talk about each with great authority.

"Teen choice fiction recognises some of the very best talent writing today and what better way to reward those authors than having the discerning public choose the winner."

The shortlist on which the public can vote is The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, Stravaganza: City of Stars by Mary Hoffman, Predator's Gold by Philip Reeve and Pirates! by Celia Rees.

[Martine]

Fergie's huge clothes closet


December 7, 2003

MOST homeowners can only dream of a bedroom that measures 6m by 4.5m.

For the Duchess of York, however, that is just the space she needs to store her clothes.

She has given a walk-in closet top priority in the revamp of her new £1 million ($2.35 million) five-bedroom home in the Surrey stockbroker belt.

A planning application submitted to the local council shows Sarah wants it to take up the entire first floor of a proposed extension.

If approved, it will be larger than the combined size of the bedrooms of her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

The extension will house the collection of outfits the Duchess once confessed had "mushroomed" after her failed marriage to Prince Andrew in 1986.

Helped by a monthly clothing allowance from the Queen, she built up a stock of 15 ballgowns for state dinners, 25 long dresses, 40 cocktail dresses, 150 day suits and some 60 hats.

A role as fashion am bassador for Dolce & Gabbana means Sarah does not run short of up-to-date apparel.

The Duchess bought the 17th-century property five months ago and applied for planning consent last week.

[Martine]

Mandatory Credit: Photo By M VON HOLDEN / DMI / REX FEATURES SARAH FERGUSON, DUCHESS OF YORK THE FLAGSHIP ASPREY STORE OPENING, NEW YORK, AMERICA - 08 DEC 2003 438624/DMW

www.ibl.se

[thissal]

Duchess Sarah seems not to have learned the usual makeup rule of less is better as one gets older. She's starting to look like a Halloween mask instead of highlighting the beautiful woman she is.

[Alexandria]

I think it's her eye make up that's been too excessive lately. There has been one or two times where her blush has been too much, but generally it's been her eye shadow and eye liner that has given her the racoon eyes look.

[sara1981]

i wishes she would gets auction like Princess Diana! because she kept her dresses since she got marriage to Prince Andrew why not got donate her dress like Diana?

Sara Boyce

[Alexandria]

IBL - 8 December 2003 - Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York attends the flagship Asprey store opening, New York.

[Bubbette]

Yikes she has to watch her makeup!

[Martine]

from www.hellomagazine.com

[Martine]

Originally posted by sara1981@Dec 9th, 2003 - 4:38 pm
i wishes she would gets auction like Princess Diana! because she kept her dresses since she got marriage to Prince Andrew why not got donate her dress like Diana?

Sara Boyce

i don't know about that , sarah is not diana (obviously) , i think she doesn't have the same charisma as diana (although i like sarah a lot) so i don't know if it would get as much money as diana's auction did , but it would be a nice thing to try , she won't wear those clothes anyway , so all the money coming in would be good for charity...........;

[Martine]

Mandatory Credit: Photo By ERIK C PENDZICH / REX FEATURES Sara Ferguson, Duchess of York 'WOMEN WHO INSPIRE US' AWARDS LUNCHEON, NEW YORK, AMERICA - 09 DEC 2003 438757/RUS

[Alexandria]

For those of you who are interested in Sarah Ferguson and can watch Entertainment Tonight, she will be on the show tomorrow, 12 December, discussing her battle with her weight.

[Britters]

The Duchess of York appeared on talk show, "The Wayne Brady Show" this morning!! The interview was quite funny, and Sarah did well upholding hereslf, and was relaxed. She even joked around about being a "closet American," while she was describing how much she adores the American people and the way they took her in 8 years ago.

She was also part of a cooking segment, and it was clear when she said she could not cook that she wasn't just being modest. They are suppose to put a clip up on the site some time today, of the cooking segment, check it out, it was hilarious!

For those who can tune in Sarah will be on "The Sharon Osbourne Show" on Monday (12 January 2004)