She’s used her royal background as a platform to make a real difference to the lives of countless disadvantaged children around the world with her charity Children in Crisis, but Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson has admitted it’s helped her too – and actually made her a better mother.
Opening up in a rare first-person piece for the Evening Standard, the Duchess of York has admitted her charity work “probably saved her life”, and taught her valuable lessons about motherhood and bringing up her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
“I write this piece as a big thank you to the team at Children in Crisis who have taken my vision and made it all possible. As I look back over the work of the past 25 years I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported us and so proud of the fact that we have kept the charity going all these years,” she began.
“It has certainly made me a better mother to my daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, giving me a sense of perspective, and allowing me to encourage them to use the platform they have to get involved in charitable work.
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“It has probably saved my life, too, by giving me purpose through hard times. As my grandmother always said, ‘When you feel bad about yourself, go out there and do something for somebody else’.”
Fergie is now set to visit Nepal this week, as her charity merges with Street Child, a hugely successful project working to help children in remote and poverty-stricken areas of the world get an education.
Revealing they both have a lot in common, she compared the merger to her daughter Eugenie marrying later this year and admitted her charity is actually like a third child to her.
“She [Eugenie] is 28, and when your children get to that age, you let them do their thing,” she explained. “Children in Crisis has been like a third child to me over the past 25 years. Now it’s time to let it do something new and better. We agreed with Street Child that together we can pack a bigger punch.”
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The name of the merged charity will now be changed to Street Child, and while Fergie will be its founder patron, her daughters will become ambassadors for its work.
The Duchess has been her daughter Eugenie’s biggest support ahead of her wedding to Jack Brooksbank on October 12.
Both parents first announced the news in the UK earlier this year. A statement read: “The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Eugenie to Mr Jack Brooksbank,” before adding: “The wedding will take place in the autumn of 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, with further details to be announced in due course.”
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Fergie then shared a gushing open letter for the couple, thanking the pair for “always making my day brighter”, and congratulating them on their “pure love and joy” which she said “shined through” the press when they made their official announcement.
Writing in the letter, published in celebrity magazine Hello!, Fergie said: “Dearest Eugenie and Jack The Man, when you walk into a room, you bring smiles to the faces of all who meet you. You both exude kindness, love and goodness. You have beautiful manners and go the extra mile to all who meet you.”
She went on to speak of her “pride” at their “pure love and joy”, and thanked them for the “laughter and happiness” they bring to “Papa, Beatrice and myself”. Clearly very fond of her future son-in-law, she spoke for the whole York family, and signed the note off as “Mumsie and Sarahs.”