Sarah Ferguson Says Late Queen Elizabeth II Was a ‘Dear Friend’

Sarah Ferguson is celebrating the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II on the late monarch’s birthday.

“Today we are remembering Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on what would have been her 97th birthday,” Ferguson, 64, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, April 21. “Thank you for all that you have taught us, for being a steadfast leader and dear friend. You are sorely missed.”

The Duchess of York, who was previously married to Elizabeth’s son Prince Andrew, added a throwback photo of the regent standing on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Ferguson’s son-in-law Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who is married to Princess Beatrice, dropped a “like” on the tribute.

Ferguson joined the royal family in 1986 when she married Andrew, 64. They share daughters Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 34. After six years of marriage, Andrew and Ferguson separated in 1992 and their divorce was finalized in 1996. However, they continued living in close quarters at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The queen died in September 2022 at the age of 96, and Andrew and Ferguson took in her beloved pet corgis.

“They’re known as national treasures so when they go chasing squirrels and trees are in the way, [you have to] go straight to the vet,” Ferguson joked during a March 2023 appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan. “Funny enough, they don’t have [security detail]. They have my five Norfolk terriers, so they’re protected and they came with their royal beds, so they go to their own bedrooms [to sleep each night].”

Two months later, Ferguson revealed that the dogs still miss Elizabeth.

“They can sense the late queen’s presence at Royal Lodge, Windsor,” Ferguson told the U.K.’s Express in May 2023. “It makes me think Queen Elizabeth is passing by and laughing. I’m not being weird. … At night they like their own space. I respect that they probably do miss her. I miss her too.”

Immediately after Elizabeth’s death, her son King Charles III assumed the throne. His official coronation took place in May 2023, which Ferguson watched at home via television with her menagerie of pets. While she was excluded from the ceremony guest list, Ferguson was able to attend the celebratory Coronation Concert with her daughters later that weekend.

She and Andrew have also remained friendly, last stepping out together at the royals’ annual Easter Mattins service on March 31. They were joined by Charles, 75, and his wife, Queen Camilla, as well as Princess Anne, Sir Tim Laurence, Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie.