As Sarah Ferguson appears ahead to welcoming one other grandchild, her relationship along with her daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie appears nearer than ever
The Duchess of York has frequently spoken about her tight bond with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
‘I am very proud of them and they are very proud of me. We are a tripod of women and the best way to empower people is to lead by example,’ she told Hello! magazine.
After Beatrice’s recent pregnancy announcement, Sarah shared a post on social media to say how ‘becoming a granny again fills my heart with so much happiness and gratitude’.
The family share a close relationship – the Duchess often joins her daughters at events, and the trio have supported various charities together.
The mother-of-two made an appearance with her eldest, Beatrice, at New York Climate Week in September.
Earlier this year, the Duchess featured on a video with Eugenie for the Anti-Slavery Collective.
The ‘tripod of women’: Sarah Ferguson with her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in May 2023, three weeks before Eugenie’s second son Ernest was born
Sarah and Beatrice smiling at the princesses’ daughter, Sienna
Beatrice, Sarah and Eugenie attending the Anti Slavery Collective’s gala in November last year
Her admiration for her mother was highlighted as she reflected on how much she had influenced her.
She said: ‘Your purpose has always been to impact people across the world, and it’s been such an inspiration to me growing up.
‘You really are an inspiration as a mother and a leader.’
Sarah made it clear she felt similarly towards her daughters.
Family is important for Sarah and despite her divorce from their father Prince Andrew, in 1996, she has maintained a tight unit.
The Duchess now lives with her former husband at Royal Lodge in Windsor and they have holidayed together as a family.
Beatrice previously said how her parents are the ‘the best divorced couple I know,’ because they get on so well.
Empowering her daughters seems to be another priority for the Duchess. On Beatrice’s birthday in August this year she shared images on social media about her ‘amazing daughter’.
A throwback photo of Eugenie, Beatrice and Sarah, from the princesses’ childhood
The trio hugging in a photo posted on social media by Eugenie for Mother’s Day
Beatrice and the Duchess of York attending Royal Ascot together in June this year
Another Mothers’ Day post, this time of Fergie with Eugenie and Beatrice going for a sail
Prince Andrew walking alongside Sarah as she holds her daughters hands at the Royal Windsor Horse show in 1992, just after their official separation
She wrote: ‘Happy birthday my wonderful Beatrice. You are the most amazing daughter, mother, stepmother, sister, wife and woman!
‘I feel so privileged to be able to learn from you every day. You continue to inspire me and those around you with your warmth, curiosity, and zest for life. I love you. Happy birthday.’
The social media post wasn’t the first time Sarah has talked highly of her daughters as mothers.
Last year on her podcast, Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, she said how they both work ‘very very hard’.
Neither Beatrice or Eugenie receive income from the Sovereign Grant and both work outside of the Royal Family.
Sarah with Andrew and Beatrice at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1990
Eugenie, Sarah and Beatrice posing and smiling together for a photo in the sun
Sarah talking with Eugenie in the Anti Slavery Collective video earlier this year
They both have children – Beatrice, now pregnant, is a mother to Sienna, three, and stepmother to eight-year-old Christopher Woolf, while Eugenie has August, three, and one-year-old Ernest.
Sarah praised the two ‘working mums’ and added ‘my girls are incredible’.
She said how both are ‘huge advocates for charity’ and a ‘great representation of the late Queen’s values’.
‘It’s both private and public, it’s not about working or non-working. They work very very hard privately and publicly,’ she added.
She said the pair have an ‘extraordinary’ work-life balance. ‘I’m so proud of them, they’re great mothers,’ she added.
The sisters never miss an opportunity to talk of their close bond with their mother, and in May this year, Beatrice announced the Duchess was ‘all clear now’ after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year and skin cancer in January.
Beatrice smiling with her parents on her graduation day at Goldsmiths College in 2011
She said: ‘We’re really lucky in the UK, so make sure you can get those checks the best you can and hopefully we can be there to support each other when anyone goes through a health scare.’
She told ITV’s This Morning: ‘She’s been through so much. And her sense of purpose and resilience really keeps me going.
‘We’re just reminded when any parent or individual has a health scenario – just really get the checks that you need and as early as you possibly can.
Sarah was supported by her daughters throughout her recovery and she told People magazine: ‘My two wonderful daughters are my wholehearted cheerleaders, my devoted champions and my soulmates, and they have been as supportive as can be, as they always are.’
