Sarah Ferguson, Duchess Of York

[Martine]

1.young Sarah with Andrew

2.with sister Jane

3.21 years old

4.19 years old

5.Bridesmaid at Jane's marriage

6.Sarah with her mother , Susan Barrantes, and her sister , Jane

7.at boarding school

[Alexandria]

1.www.ibl.se - SARAH FERGUSON, DUCHESS OF YORK GIORGIOARMANI RETROSPECTIVE GALA PARTY, AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, LONDON, BRITAIN - 14 OCT 2003 432167

What is Fergie thinking with this outfit?

2.www.ibl.se - SARAH FERGUSON GIORGIOARMANI RETROSPECTIVE GALA PARTY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, LONDON, BRITAIN - 14 OCT 2003 432168/RY

[sara1981]

you know that today her birthday on October 15th she become 44 year old i think she have quite her birthday!

Sara Boyce

[Martine]

Originally posted by Alexandria@Oct 15th, 2003 - 6:44 pm
www.ibl.se - SARAH FERGUSON, DUCHESS OF YORK GIORGIOARMANI RETROSPECTIVE GALA PARTY, AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, LONDON, BRITAIN - 14 OCT 2003 432167

What is Fergie thinking with this outfit?

i asked myself if it could get any worse when the last pictures came out....

I guess the answer is yes really bad especially the skirt

I don't know what she's thinking she was dressing fine last years

[justine]

Is that a skirt or shorts/skorts/culottes? Looks like a large black diaper I hate to say!
Like blouse tho.
Slim black pants would have been so much better.

[Martine]

Originally posted by justine@Oct 16th, 2003 - 5:25 am
Is that a skirt or shorts/skorts/culottes? Looks like a large black diaper I hate to say!
Like blouse tho.
Slim black pants would have been so much better.

i think it's a skirt


yeh black pants would be so much better

[Martine]

GIORGIO ARMANI RETROSPECTIVE GALA PARTY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, LONDON, BRITAIN - 14 OCT 2003

www.rexfeatures.com

[Martine]

1,2.GIORGIO ARMANI RETROSPECTIVE GALA PARTY AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, LONDON, BRITAIN - 14 OCT 2003

www.rexfeatures.com

3.Polfoto 14-10-2003 Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson arrives for a cocktail party launch of the "Giorgio Armani: A Retrospective" exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in central London Tuesday 14 October 2003. PA Photo : Ian West

4,5.Sarah Ferguson
Oct 14 2003

[Fireweaver]

She just started. So far she has said that she didn't want to talk about the conspiracy theory, and about Philip's letter to Diana. She also will NOT read Paul Burnell's book. Also, she has advised her daughters to always present a good face to the public, as that's what they want to see, not frowny grumpy princesses :)

[Martine]

FERGIE ON LIFE, LOVE AND HER LATEST BOOK




WE'RE talking birthdays. It's mine the day I meet the Duchess of York and it's hers the day after. I tell her I share mine with Cliff Richard. She shares hers with Margaret Thatcher.

There's a silence while she decides which one of us has got the better deal: "Well Margaret Thatcher was a very strong woman wasn't she."

That's typical of the new Fergie, the strong Fergie who's determined to make the best of everything, the Fergie who's shed every last vestige of

the overeating, overspending, oversexed Duchess of Pork.

That, she says, was another woman, another time.

This new Size Eight Duchess has cast off the hair shirt she wore after her divorce from Prince Andrew. She no longer apologises for the person she once was, about how worthless and how unfit she was and how she brought it all on herself.

This new Fergie , who's wearing a crimson and black Dolce and Gabbana suit with an itsy-bitsy skirt that barely covers her modesty, and sky-high stilettos that make her long legs look even longer - wants

the world to know she's (in her words) scarily strong, feisty, and ready to take on all comers.

However, Fergie is spending her 44th birthday alone. The day was spent promoting her new book Little Red, which helps raise funds for her charity Children in Crisis. The book, her second, followed the huge success of Budgie - The Little Helicopter.

And in the evening she hoped to go to Beatrice's boarding school, St George's in Ascot, for a cup of tea and a cake. Hopefully I'll persuade her to stay out with me till 9pm, she says. Then I'll go home, have another cup of tea and an early night.

So no romantic dinner with a handsome man then? Oh God no! There's no-one to have a romantic dinner with. But put it out there if you like that I'm single and available. You know everyone says to me, Why haven't you got a man? You're wearing short skirts, your hair's looking good, you're looking better than you have looked for years, so where are they?

Well you tell me. Maybe it's because I'm so strong now and they're all frightened of me and the Press attention I bring with me. (It's rumoured that's why her last boyfriend Rupert Beckwith Smith took fright).

I don't care what they do or if they're rich or not. But I do miss romance. I'm at that stage where I'm beginning to think, Yes, it would be nice. But I've been working so hard at trying to get myself better that it hasn't happened yet.

Getting better has involved losing four stone, paying off £4million worth of debts, working across the Atlantic for WeightWatchers and trying to make the public forget she was once a liability and public laughing stock who had her toes sucked by her financial adviser, John Bryan. I suppose like every woman I wonder if I'll ever get married again, she says. And yes, some days I wake up and I think, Aaargh I'm 44 and I'm never going to meet a man. But you know I'm not even sure if I'm ready to get married again. It's good to admit that. In the past I'd have worried myself sick about it. Now I just look at whatever the fear is and say to myself, Ignore it, it's not real.

It's tempting to buy into Fergie's new-found strength, her life is about how I feel not how everyone else feels credo. But I'm not convinced. Scratch the surface and old wounds still bleed.

Yes, physically she's totally reinvented herself. (Forget all those stories about how she looks drawn and haggard having lost too much weight. She doesn't. She looks fantastic). But ask her what she sees when she looks in the mirror and the woman who just a few days ago roared, I'm scarily strong now says quietly, Well today I'm feeling a bit old. I've still got my sense of humour somewhere. I'm quite fragile. I have to work hard at what I'm saying and doing. And I'm beginning to feel happier.

THAT doesn't sound like a woman who has killed all the demons. Fergie admits that when her 10-year marriage to Andrew ended she was a broken woman. And I mean broken, completely broken. I didn't have a nervous breakdown even though everyone says I did. I could not afford to.

I had my girls and whatever I was feeling when I went into the nursery I had to switch it all off and go talk about jigsaws, Disney and colouring in. THAT'S why Beatrice and Eugenie are so strong. Whatever else I've been, I've been a very good mother.

But back then I was in deep trouble as I had nothing else left inside of me, nothing.

When Fergie talks she uses phrases like I'm working on myself, and I ask myself how do YOU feel today, and people must honour and respect my space.

Some might call it psycho babble, others might say it's a desperate and determined bid to keep focused and put the dark days behind her.

So has she had professional help? Yes, masses of it. I needed lots and lots of help to get me where I am today. I didn't go to a regular psychiatrist but when I was in Los Angeles I stumbled across a bereavement counsellor who put me in touch with this other woman. I never see her. I just ring her and

talk to her. She trained as a psychoanalyst but these days she's into more spiritual stuff. She's very tough on me. She makes me go deep into how I feel. She also tells me she doesn't believe me when I say everything is fine and so she says things that help me get my emotions out.

Yes, there are times when I might end up in floods of tears but at least I get to the root of the problem.

Despite Sarah's protestations that's she's a new woman she still hasn't totally lost the old habit of knocking herself. I'm trying to make myself stop it, she says. It's a typical British habit. And it's very much from my father - always put yourself down,

always think you're nothing. If someone tries to give me a compliment, I won't listen. I just brush it off and say, Yeah, Yeah, and change the subject. But I'm going to stop doing that.

To understand Sarah Ferguson and the person she wants to become you have to understand the 12-year- old girl whose mother left her, her sister Jane and her father Major Ron Ferguson to run off to Argentina with polo-playing Hector Barrantes.

I cut my hair the day before she left and for years I believed that's why she went, she says. I believed that I was so bad, so awful that she couldn't stay and everything that happened was entirely and utterly because I was the person I was. And I never told her any of that so she could never tell me it wasn't true.

I just carried it around with me for years and that shaped the person I became. The fun-loving, up-for- anything Fergie the public saw was a deceit. She wasnÕt the real me. I never thought anyone would want to know the real me - this dreadful, awful person who got rid of her mum, who caused a divorce and who ruined the family.

All that is why I became a compulsive eater, a compulsive everything. And what happened to me while I was with Prince Andrew would have happened no matter what family I'd married into.

When it comes to her ex-husband, Fergie is anxious to stress what a great relationship they have. But there have been rumours that the pair aren't as close as they once were as Andrew has a new, very serious girlfriend in the shape of beautiful entrepreneur Amanda Staveley. Just last week Palace insiders hinted that Andrew was finally ready to propose to the millionaire businesswoman who has been a permanent fixture in his life for the last 18 months. When asked if her ex is about to remarry Fergie looks shocked and for once, at a loss for words. When she finally recovers she says: I have absolutely no idea - no honestly, I have no idea. Which is odd, because just a couple of weeks ago Fergie had dinner with Andrew.

She won't confirm it but says: If I met a new man I would discuss it with Andrew because it would involve our children. We are very, very close but he keeps his life, and I keep mine.

Whatever she knows she's keeping it to herself but Andrew's relationship with Staveley is thought to be the reason she moved out of Sunninghill last year into a three-bedroom house in Windlesham (albeit with a staff of five). But even with a wedding looming, even with rumours that any remarriage would sideline her even further and would affect her saleability and her earning potential overseas, she still talks of him incredibly fondly.

You know I was totally in love with my boy when I married him. But I wasn't allowed to be the wife I wanted to be - the wife who wanted to go off to Portsmouth and play skittles with the other wives. I was told I had to be this other person -- a person who had to wear the right thing and do the right thing. And I couldn't. It all went from being great fun and very exciting to me having to be something I wasn't, then getting lost completely.

Yes, I panicked, I over-ate, I overspent and I over-indulged. And no, I don't think about ,What if I had my time over. But I'm glad I've learned the lessons I've learned.

So does she think she HAS finally redeemed herself in the eyes of the British public? I wouldn't dare to dream I've done that, she says. But the hope that she might is there in her eyes. All I can do is the best job I can. I'm not running around any more trying to please everyone, making sure everyone else is happy. I've stopped trying to get everything right. But I know I can't do the Fergie full-on thing any more.

Does that mean she can't have fun any more? I can still do that, can't I? she asks her PR almost plaintively. What I know is I've finally accepted myself. I know I will always have to keep an eye on what I spend and on what I eat, but if I pig out now and again so what? At least I know why I do it now.

As for plans my only one is to bring out another Little Red book in 2004 and then two more.

Little Red is a character that came to life after I drew her on the back of a napkin five years ago. Maybe I invented her because I wanted to be like her she helps people. Since then, Little Red dolls have been sold to raise money for lots of children's charities.

I lost out on getting my own chat show in the States recently. But I just thought to myself, Well that's a good thing. I wonder what's coming next.

What's coming next of course is Christmas - the time when the nation waits to discover whether the outcast Fergie will be accepted back into the royal fold or will once again be having a TV turkey dinner for one in a cottage on the Sandringham estate while Beatrice and Eugenie whoop it up with the Windsors at the Big House: I don't know what the girls and I are doing yet. Yes, they normally go to their grandmother's and I like them to do that. But who knows?

Before I go I ask if she knows what presents she's getting for her birthday: Nah, she says airily. And you know what - rthdays are nonsense don' you think? I tell her I don't - and that i love presents

Oh well I'd better send you card abd a present immediatly.Fergie the people pleaser isn't dead. not quite yet.

[Martine]

LARRY KING TRANSCRIPT


ADVERTISEMENT


Aired October 21, 2003 - 21:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Sarah Ferguson. With style, with grace, the duchess of York has survived scandals and divorce, beaten a weight problem, climbed back out of bankruptcy. There's no one like her. Sarah Ferguson, the duchess of York, for the hour, with your phone calls, is next on LARRY KING LIVE.
She's author of a terrific new children's book, "Little Red," with wonderful illustrations by Sam Williams (ph). She's a spokesperson for Weight Watchers International, founder of Children in Crisis, the British-based charity, and Chances for Children, the United States-based charity. She flies helicopters. She's a whiz. She's a duchess. She's a princess. She's royalty, and she's back on LARRY KING LIVE.

SARAH FERGUSON, DUCHESS OF YORK: And you're the king!

KING: Hey, this could be made in heaven!

(LAUGHTER)

KING: OK, anyway, Sarah, your -- what do I call you?

FERGUSON: Sarah's good.

KING: Sarah's good. First let's discuss the thing we have to discuss first.

FERGUSON: OK.

KING: What do you make of the Diana letter?

FERGUSON: Well, firstly, I think it's very sad, really, because -- you know, God bless her and rest in peace, you know? She's -- it's so sad, the letter. I really miss her, you know? And she's in our hearts.

KING: You were close, right?

FERGUSON: Yes. Really, really, so close. And I just think, you know, here he is, writing another book and making, you know, money from memories. And I just think, you know, let's just -- let's -- she was such a great person, you know? We don't need to know any more.

KING: Was she the kind who had premonitions?

FERGUSON: Well, I don't know about that, but the thing is, is that she lived in such a high-profile life, you know? She was such a great humanitarian. She was always out there. I should imagine she had a lot of fears, like a lot of people in public life, you know? It is frightening, isn't it, when there's so many people look at you, you know, that it's -- it's very sad to think that yet again we have to be discussing it, really, Larry, because it means that yet again, someone else is benefiting from her -- from her death, really.

KING: Why do you think she stays so much -- I mean, Paul Burrell, who wrote this book -- I mean, he didn't reveal it earlier. He reveals it now. He's appeared before. Why do you think she stays so much in the consciousness of people?

FERGUSON: I think because she did so much good, you know? She really did. She was out there. She really worked hard for the children, didn't she. And we always remember her as such a loving, giving person. And I think it's so sad. It was such a tragedy and such a tragic end.

KING: It would be logical, then, if she had some paranoia, right, with all the protection and the guards and the security and the flashbulbs?

FERGUSON: I don't know what the word "paranoia" really means.

KING: Well, fear of the unknown, fear of something, to fear...

FERGUSON: I think we all live with fears. I think you do, we all do. And I think that every person in our life -- I think that's the main thing we have to come to terms with, what are the fears that drive us? I mean, what are the fears that have driven me to overindulgence of food and overindulgence of spending and all the other things I did was fear of my own self. So, you know, was that paranoid? I don't know. But it certainly -- we all have to deal with fierce.

KING: Do you buy anything, as to a conspiracy? Does your mind go that route?

FERGUSON: Moving on. Let's move on.

KING: So you're not going to comment one way or the other on it?

FERGUSON: I think -- I think it's a very difficult subject for me to get into because it would just open such a can of worms, and I really don't feel that it would be right for her memory.

KING: Because you still also have a -- you're part of the crown, right? Your children are.

FERGUSON: Yes, I think...

KING: In fact, your children are loved by the family, right?

FERGUSON: They -- well, thank you. They are 13 and 15 now, Larry, and they are very, very good, solid children. I've brought them up to feet on the ground. And I've brought them up to understand public life is always going to be with them. So if they're chased by the press or if they're running around, they've got to know that, you know, it is frightening out there, but they're safe and loved. And I think that's what we can do.

KING: Did you once warn Diana about being spied upon?

FERGUSON: I think Diana and I had lots of conversations, and I can't remember them. But I certainly was there for her all the way.

KING: Were you surprised at the letter from Prince Philip to Diana, expressing shock that Charles would leave her for Camilla?

FERGUSON: I don't -- I know nothing of that letter.

KING: Will you read the Paul Burrell book?

FERGUSON: No.

KING: Even though you were involved in everything? I mean, you know...

FERGUSON: You're such a good interviewer, Larry!

KING: You will not read the book?

FERGUSON: No.

KING: Not out of simple curiosity?

FERGUSON: No, no. Seriously, I won't.

KING: OK. OK.

FERGUSON: You know, she's -- let's remember her.

KING: OK. Do you know...

FERGUSON: You know, I don't want...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Do you know Camilla, by the way?

FERGUSON: Yes, I do. Yes.

KING: Do you like her?

FERGUSON: Yes. She's good lady, a very good lady.

KING: Do you think Di would have liked her?

FERGUSON: I'm sure she would have.

KING: Really? Do you think they're going to get married?

FERGUSON: No comment! I have no idea. We have to ask him. (LAUGHTER)

KING: OK. You're there. I'm not. I don't know him. What do I know.

FERGUSON: Well, exactly. But Larry -- Larry, well, go and ring Charles.

KING: Look, I'm going to other things.

FERGUSON: Ring Charles. Yes. Yes.

KING: I just want to -- OK.

FERGUSON: Let's get off this subject.

KING: How did you get along with Prince Philip?

FERGUSON: Let's get off this subject!

KING: OK, I will.

FERGUSON: That's a real torpedo, that one!

KING: How do your daughters cope with all this, by the way?

FERGUSON: They're doing very well, Larry. They are -- they're...

KING: I mean, they get press attention, do they not?

FERGUSON: Yes, they do, and...

KING: They're going to have a life of this.

FERGUSON: You know what I've said? I said to them that when they get out of the car, wherever they are in the world, they've got to get out and smile because there's somebody, 10th floor of a building in Oklahoma City or somewhere, they want to see princesses that are smiling, that are from -- they're from privilege. They've got great backgrounds. They've got a very lucky life. Now, smile and show the world that it's OK. You can -- it is all right. And don't look grumpy and sulky and put your head down. That's a bore. And you know what? They do it. And so they're safe and they're solid.

KING: Couple things, and we're moving on to other subjects.

FERGUSON: Thank goodness, Larry!

KING: Your focus on being a mother. Your own mother left you, right?

FERGUSON: Yes.

KING: Is that what drives you, do you think?

FERGUSON: I think that...

KING: Because you are major mother.

FERGUSON: I am a major mother, Larry.

KING: You are.

FERGUSON: Thank you. I really give my children what I actually never really got myself, which was a mum saying, It's OK. You're all right, you know? I am here. It's not frightening. I'm not going anywhere. And hugs. And you know that awful -- that horrible feeling, when you think there's a dragon under your bed, there isn't. All it is is just a fear.

KING: What do you think it's going to be like for the two boys?

FERGUSON: What, now?

KING: Yes. For them.

FERGUSON: I think they've coped with life incredibly well. I just think...

KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

FERGUSON: Yes, they're such great boys. And I think they should be left alone more, and I think they should be allowed to get on with their lives and just realize -- you know, they really are great boys. I mean, I think, you know, William is one of the nicest people I know. But I've always said that.

KING: They did a good job, did they not. The two parents may have had their problems with each other and problems with themselves. They raised two pretty good kids.

FERGUSON: Larry, that's exactly right. And when we look back now and all this Paul Burrell business, why not look at the real positive side of this, that Diana was the most fabulous mother. Charles is a great father. He really is. Single-handedly, he's brought those boys up. That's what should be spoken about, not the negative. It's too easy to go negative.

KING: Of course, you live in a city of tabloids, do you not?

FERGUSON: I know. It is.

KING: They're worse than America, right?

FERGUSON: But jealousy is a horrible thing. Why does everybody want to pull everybody down? In the United States of America, with the Iraq situation, you know, they went -- you trailblazed. You went forward. And yet everyone wants to pull you down. Why? Because you're trailblazers. I think it's great you showed courage, and I think more people should do that.

KING: Your people are doing it to Blair. FERGUSON: Absolutely. Absolutely.

KING: Pulling him down.

FERGUSON: But why not look at the positive side of life instead of doing that? And that's why there is so many tabloid newspapers, because so many people read it because they want to see the negative.

KING: They reinforce it.

FERGUSON: Yes.

KING: We'll take a break, come back and talk about losing weight with an expert. Sarah has done a good job, and she's spokesperson for Weight Watchers. We'll talk about her book, "Little Red," which is fascinating. We'll take a lot of your phone calls. You're watching LARRY KING LIVE.

Barbara Bush tomorrow night. Hey, we don't fool around. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Before we talk about weight and "Little Red," little updates on you. Are you involved with anyone? I know you told a magazine you want a boyfriend.

FERGUSON: Yes, I would like a boyfriend, Larry, you know? So if you could put it out...

KING: Do you date?

FERGUSON: Well, not yet. No one's come around. I think they're too frightened.

KING: No one has come around?

FERGUSON: No! Two years now.

KING: I'm shocked.

FERGUSON: I know.

KING: Two years.

FERGUSON: Two years, yes.

KING: So what are you doing? What's life...

FERGUSON: Well, see, I'm too busy...

KING: Before we talk about Weight Watchers...

FERGUSON: I'm having to...

KING: ... and the book. FERGUSON: I'm having to focus on my work really hard. And I've got a horse going to the Olympics next year, which I'm really excited about, a show-jumping horse. I mean, it was a horse I just found in Ireland. I liked him. He's a big -- something big, 17-hand stallion. And he's...

KING: What's his name?

FERGUSON: Baboo (ph).

KING: Baboo?

FERGUSON: Yes. And he's jumping for Ireland, and Robert Spain (ph), who rides in Green Coat (ph). And one day I said to Robert -- it was about 10 years ago. I said, Robert, We're going to win the Olympic gold. And he said, yes, to be sure, you know? Of course we're not. I said, We will. And we're...

KING: What event?

FERGUSON: ... qualified in show jumping next year. You'll see us there.

KING: That's going to be great -- in Greece.

FERGUSON: We're going to win the Olympic gold.

KING: You will go, will you not?

FERGUSON: I will. And I will win it. And then I'll write the story. And then I'll write a movie and win an Oscar.

KING: Would you ever take us up on the question about hosting your own show?

FERGUSON: Yes, Larry. You know, it was -- when you and I had lunch, you said start with radio because it's good practice, and go on. I did exactly what you said. I've now been doing a lot of radio and hope to have my own radio show probably starting next year. "From the Heart" it's going to be called. And I'm very excited. So you know, hopefully, one day I'll have my own TV talk show.

KING: Now, what do you do for Weight Watchers? Are you still their spokesperson?

FERGUSON: Absolutely. But the most important thing I want to -- really want to talk about today is the truth about carbohydrates, you know?

KING: The truth about carbohydrates?

FERGUSON: Yes, because...

KING: Like, what don't we know?

FERGUSON: Well, it's so annoying because the -- all these low- carb diets -- everybody's just eating protein, and they're not understanding if they don't put carbohydrates and vegetables in their diet, they are going to be very ill. These fad diets are extreme. It is so important. It's not just about weight loss, it's about health for the future.

KING: But the...

FERGUSON: You can do these low-carb diets and lose a lot of weight, and it works. Absolutely. Then three months later, all these problems come -- kidney problem, heart disease. I work for the American Cancer Society. I work for the American Heart Association. If you carry on with these low-carb diets, you are going to end up with problems.

KING: The argument made by the late Dr. Atkins and others is that carbs turn to sugar and sugar is bad.

FERGUSON: So that means that we have to cut out broccoli and every vegetable known to man...

KING: And bread.

FERGUSON: ... because it turns to sugar and it's...

KING: And rice.

FERGUSON: Yes. Brown rice, whole foods, whole grains. You have to have it to make your body work. Why? Because otherwise there's too much hyderocolic (ph) acid in your system, and it causes bad breath, spots, and your hair falls out, because I've done it.

KING: You need proteins and carbohydrates.

FERGUSON: You have to -- like life, you have a well balanced, rounded diet. Sorry.

KING: Now what is this, "The Truth About Carbs"?

FERGUSON: Larry, you're brilliant. Look...

KING: From Weight Watchers.

FERGUSON: It's a free brochure mailed to you by calling 1-877- 234-4321, go to weightwatchers.com. But go and find out about the truth about carbs. You can go on this Atkins diet and these South Beach, or whatever it's called, and all these things, but you come back to Weight Watchers in a year's time because you're going to have problems, and you are going to be ill. I can guarantee it because I was there. I had a migraine every 10 minutes because of these low- carb diets.

KING: So give me an idea of what you eat.

FERGUSON: What I eat now?

KING: Yes. FERGUSON: Oh, I can eat anything I like because with Weight Watchers, you can just count your points. So I'll get up in the morning, I'll have an egg white omelet, or today I had half a bagel and low-fat yogurt, which was delicious, you know? But I think -- and for lunch, I have fish and tomatoes and a potato. That's OK. And it was well-rounded and well balanced.

KING: Do you snack?

FERGUSON: Yes, I snack, nuts and dried fruits. And that's 11:00 o'clock and 4:00 o'clock because my sugar levels go down, so I get them back up. But you know, deprivation is fattening, you know? It causes binging and purging. And you know, if you deprive yourself and you stick to just eating only fats, bacon and eggs and all the things they suggest, then where is life? What is life about? It means for the rest of your time, for the next year, you have to only limit yourself to certain things. And it's going to...

KING: But they're all good things, though. That's one of the things that appeal -- the Atkins appeal...

FERGUSON: Yes. Yes.

KING: Hey, bacon ain't bad to...

FERGUSON: Bacon and eggs, fantastic, and cheese. And what about fruit? And what about the research that has proven from the American Cancer Society and from the American Heart that if you don't have these things, you are going to be ill?

KING: If you want this brochure, you can go to weightwatchers.com or call 1 -- it's toll-free -- 877-234-4321. It's simple enough. "The Truth About Carbs."

FERGUSON: And see you at Weight Watchers because you'll be back.

KING: Do you often -- do you attend Weight Watchers meetings?

FERGUSON: I do. I do.

KING: Still do?

FERGUSON: Yes. And you know why? Because that's the other thing. They support me. They're friends of mine. And we've all been through serious weight problems. I mean, you've lost so much weight, Larry. You look great. I...

KING: But I didn't want to. I just enjoyed losing.

FERGUSON: Oh, did you?

KING: Yes. I wanted to lose 4 pounds, I lost 15. Now I got to find out how to balance myself.

FERGUSON: Well, you can take a bit of mine back with you, if you want. Anyway but -- but the thing is, Larry, is... KING: How fat were you?

FERGUSON: I was about 220, 225 pounds.

KING: You're kidding!

FERGUSON: I was. And do you know, before my wedding, I went on these low-carb diets. And the day of my wedding, I had such a migraine. And probably had breath like you can't imagine, with terrible spots and hair falling out. It's just terrible. And I did it all because I knew it does work. Quick fix. But then...

KING: Do you now not now get migraines?

FERGUSON: No. I completely cleaned up, but it took me seven years of Weight Watchers, hard support and hard working on well- balanced, whole grain, whole food to get me back up.

KING: How did they contact you? Did they know about -- I mean, did they know you wanted to lose weight? How did that initial thing come about, you and Weight Watchers?

FERGUSON: I think the great Sir Anthony O'Reilly (ph) -- fantastic man. He said to me -- that's when Weight Watchers was owned by Heinz. He said to me, You know what? Maybe no one wants you in Britain, but we want you in the States. Go and tell them about your weight problem. And I did. And thanks to the American people. You just embraced me.

KING: Before we talk about the book -- you know Arnold Schwarzenegger, do you not?

FERGUSON: Yes, I do. And Maria.

KING: What do you think of them electing him as governor?

FERGUSON: Well, I was watching. It's incredible, really. He's going to make a huge success because he's...

FERGUSON: Were you in Great Britain?

FERGUSON: I was. And I watched it, Larry. But he's going to make a success of it because he's so determined, you know? He's hungry to make a change.

KING: And he's smart.

FERGUSON: He's got a lot -- he's got a hard ladder to climb to do it, hasn't he.

KING: Oh, yes.

FERGUSON: I mean, the deficit is huge.

KING: The state's in a lot of trouble.

FERGUSON: Yes. But he will do it. And with Maria by his side -- you know, she's a good, strong lady.

KING: Great lady.

FERGUSON: Yes. Great lady. I'm all for it. I think it's going to be great.

(CROSSTALK)

KING: Before we talk about the book, are you obsessed with your image? You can...

FERGUSON: Yes, I was. Absolutely, Larry. I was very obsessed. And I think that's why I can relate to a lot of people that are obsessed about the way they look. Now I'm not. Now I've learned to stop being the people pleaser and just take it as I am, you know? But it's difficult, Larry, everybody looks at you and goes, Oh, you know, she's put on weight, or, She's lost weight, or, you know, She looks old. The newspapers the other day said, She looks old for her 43- year-old frame, or something rude like that. Io thought, When did they see me?

KING: Are you 43?

FERGUSON: I'm 44 now.

KING: You look terrific.

FERGUSON: Birthday last week. Thanks, Larry.

KING: We'll talk about "Little Red" when we come back, and then we'll be going to your phone calls. Our guest is Sarah Ferguson, the duchess of York. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We'll go to your phone calls at the bottom of the hour. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has a new children's book out. It's called "Little Red," illustrated by Sam Williams. In association with the publication of this book, there is the Little Red doll. We have it here on set. Look at that beautiful little doll. These dolls, by the way, are made by our mutual friend, Bob Solomon (ph), at Applause (ph) here in southern California. They do a great job. And Little Red dolls will be available in gift, specialty and book stores starting November 17.

FERGUSON: That's right.

KING: And you do what with the proceeds from this doll?

FERGUSON: Every single penny from her goes to help America's children, not just in the United States but also in other countries, like...

KING: Is that part of your Children in Crisis?

FERGUSON: Absolutely. Chances for Children and Children in Crisis is merged together. And it's very exciting because we're doing very good work in Afghanistan now.

KING: We salute the people at Applause for getting involved with you, and they do great work.

FERGUSON: Do you know what? This is such high quality. They even put very fine underwear on, which is...

(LAUGHTER)

FERGUSON: ... with the little "LR" there. So everybody -- and she makes people happy, you know?

KING: Yes. Tell me a little history of how Little Red is...

FERGUSON: I drew her on the napkin. When the Oklahoma City bombing happened, what, eight-and-a-half years ago, I saw in front of "Newsweek," PJ, the little boy, being carried out by a fireman. I flew to Oklahoma, found the boy. I saw no one was looking after him, so I drew her and I made her. And I arranged for all the money to go for his medical bills.

KING: Why didn't you draw a little boy?

FERGUSON: I know. Well, I did draw a little boy called Little Blue, who's in the book. And he's Children in Crisis's logo. But I couldn't use the same thing...

KING: OK. And then Little Red got involved 9/11.

FERGUSON: What happened was -- exactly. So the exact same doll was found in the rubble, like PJ was found in the rubble of...

KING: Because your foundation had offices in that building.

FERGUSON: On the 101st floor. And what happened was, Little Red was found by a fireman. Just as little PJ was found by a fireman in Oklahoma, so was Little Red. And you actually spotted her and said, That's no child's doll, that's Little Red, Fergie's doll. You know? It was amazing, Larry. I couldn't believe you spotted her. Anyway, so she was found by the fireman and brought out. And now the really Little Red that was found in the rubble is in the Oklahoma museum. I gave her to Oklahoma because I thought the memory is so extraordinary.

KING: What's the book about?

FERGUSON: Well, what I decided to do was, because she's such a survivor, I thought I'd take the logo of Children in Crisis and the logo of Little Red and I'd take them on adventures. There's a bear and there's a dog called Gino (ph), and Rony (ph) the pony, which my mom and dad used to talk to me about. And I've made them go into adventures, into the woods to face their fears. In this book, particular, they hear a noise and they think to themselves, Oh, no. We can't go there. It's too frightening. And Little Red goes, No, you can face your fears. Let's go on. You never know what's going to happen. And sure enough, they go and they find a rabbit who's drowning and is not able to swim, and he's on a lily pond. And they rescue him and they realize that, in fact, had they not faced their fears, they'd never have rescued him and never made good friends.

KING: What age group?

FERGUSON: It's for, really, between, say, 3 and -- say 0 to 7, really. My girls -- my girls are 13 and 15, and they love her, so...

KING: Have you recorded it, too?

FERGUSON: I'm going to record it. Yes, I am. Definitely. And I'm going to do it also for children that are -- have a reading disability.

KING: What does Children in Crisis -- what do you do in Afghanistan, like?

FERGUSON: Well, we feed and clothe up to, say, 600 children a day. That includes boys and girls. We have the Carter-Say (ph) day center. Most important thing, education, health care and prevention. You know, if we don't educate the children, then the Afghanistan situation is going to come back and hit us. We have to educate that girls should be allowed to survive and to be educated, just as boys are. And that's what we do. We are now in 400 provinces in Afghanistan, not just in Kabul. And we work with the local people. We support them whole-heartedly, and we make sure that they have the dignity to carry on the work, not us.

KING: Little Red is available in stores now?

FERGUSON: Little Red is available in stores straightaway. And it's very exciting.

KING: Plan to do more Little Red books?

FERGUSON: I've got Little Red Christmas next year. And I'm going to go flying again in a helicopter.

KING: Yes, what is this? You're going on a polar -- what is...

FERGUSON: Yes, polar (UNINTELLIGIBLE) tomorrow.

KING: Tomorrow.

FERGUSON: Yes. I'm launching it in Reuters building in New York City at 12:00 o'clock. And my friend, Jeffa Murray (ph), 64 years old...

KING: What is it?

FERGUSON: Well, she's the first woman who's ever going to fly single-engine helicopter from South to North Pole in weather conditions which are extreme.

KING: Are you a pilot, too?

FERGUSON: I am a pilot. And -- but I'm not going to fly with her. She's doing it on her own, and I herald her -- 64 years old. And all the proceeds from that will go to the World Wildlife Foundation. But the great thing is, what a first, to go from pole to pole.

KING: In a helicopter.

FERGUSON: In a helicopter.

KING: Where -- how did you come to learn to fly a helicopter?

FERGUSON: Well, when I married Prince Andrew, he was a pilot, and so I couldn't understand a word he talked about because he -- they all talk in navex (ph) and abbreviations, certainly in the services. So I thought the only way to do it was to learn, so I learned. And it was the most difficult thing I've ever done, I think.

KING: Why a helicopter.

FERGUSON: Well, I suppose because it's so versatile. You know, it's like me. You can go anywhere. You don't have to have a runway, you can just sneak over fields and look and see what's going on. And you can chase rabbits from the air, you know?

KING: I just flew in one a couple weeks ago to see my face in a cornfield. And I'm shocked. And I still don't buy the principle, how they go straight up...

FERGUSON: I know.

KING: ... and stand still, almost.

FERGUSON: You have to -- how you learn to hover is the most extraordinary feeling. It's like sitting on top of a bull. How do you manage to hover an aircraft on top of a bull?

KING: And they make a lot of noise.

FERGUSON: Yes, they make an awful lot of noise. But the great thing is, is that it