Sarah Ferguson said she ‘loves’ being a young grandmother as she gushed over her two daughters and their husbands in a heartfelt letter about motherhood.
The Duchess of York fawned over her children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, in a letter praising their ‘courage, strength and integrity’ and said she finds it ‘extraordinary’ that they’re both mothers.
Beatrice, 33, is expecting her first baby with Italian property developer husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi this autumn and is stepmother to his son Wolfie, while Eugenie, 31, welcomed son August Philip Hawke Brooksbank with husband Jack Brooksbank in February.
In the letter, published in Good Housekeeping, Fergie, 61, said that she ‘smiles from her heart’ everyday knowing she’s a grandmother, and praised her two sons-in-law Edo and Jack.
The Duchess of York fawned over her children, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, (pictured in London 2017) in a letter praising their ‘courage, strength and integrity’ and said she finds it ‘extraordinary’ that they’re both mothers
Sarah Ferguson said she ‘loves’ being a young grandmother as she gushed over her two daughters and their husbands in a heartfelt letter about motherhood. Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are pictured with their baby son August
‘Being 61 makes me a young grandma, and I love it,’ she wrote. ‘I smile from my heart every day, because that is how it feels to be a granny.’
Sarah, who recently penned Mills and Boon romance novel My Heart is a Compass, has written over 25 books over the years and said that her grandchildren are the perfect audience.
She said that her children have been the ‘blood in her veins’ since they were toddlers and praised her daughters’ kindness and sense of humour.
‘You have stood strong in the face of such adversity,’ she said. ‘Whatever faces you, still you remain in harmony with life. I always taught you the three C’s: — communication, compromise and compassion — and you demonstrate all three. I want you to move onward and upward. Always look up.’
Beatrice, 33, is expecting her first baby with Italian property developer husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi this autumn and is stepmother to his son Wolfie. She is pictured at Wimbledon earlier this year
In the letter, Sarah said she finds it ‘extraordinary’ that both her daughters are married with children, adding that motherhood has changed the way in which she sees her daughters.
‘It has been just us for 33 years, but now you are creating your own families, and I couldn’t be happier for you both and my magnificent sons-in-law, Jack and Edo’, she wrote.
‘I marvel at your cleverness in how you manage your lives. Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching you be incredible mothers.’
Passing on her advice on parenting to her daughters, she wrote: ‘When your children walk on their own journeys, please teach them to be authentic to themselves, like I taught you.
Fergie and Andrew separated in 1992 after six years of marriage and divorced four years later, but continued to share a home at the Royal Lodge to co-parent their now adult children. She is pictured left dropping a young Eugenie to school on her first day of Upton house, right the pair are spotted walking hand in hand
‘Tell them to always try to turn to joy —to see nature, hear the birds sing, feel the rain droplets that make trees smile. Believe in fairies and the magic of every day. Never give up on the road to smiles and rainbows, and remember the saying “This too shall pass, like the clouds in the sky”.’
The Duchess of York also took the opportunity to touch on her relationship with her own grandparents, including her maternal grandmother, who she called Grummy, who inspired her charity work.
‘Grummy was my total inspiration. She always said, “When you feel bad about yourself, give to others”. Grummy started me on the road to charity and philanthropy, which led to my starting Children in Crisis in 1992.
‘She used to love the A.A. Milne quote “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think”, which struck me as useful and wise.
‘My grandfather passed when I was quite young; he was so special and brave. I called him Puff, because he really did make me believe that if I blew on his pocket watch, it would spring open (he did it, of course, but when I was little, it was such a wonderful trick).’
Her father’s parents, who she called Gargar and Pop, taught the duchess about Scotland and tea leaves and the mum says she sees aspects of both sets of grandparents in her two girls.
Beatrice tied the knot with Edo in September 2020 and the couple are expecting a child together later this year. The couple are pictured attending Wimbledon together this year
Beatrice tied the knot with Edo in September 2020 and the couple are expecting a child together later this year.
Her baby boy or girl will be born 11th in line to the throne, and although their mother is a princess they will be plain Master or Miss Mozzi – and will also be a half-sibling and will also be a half-sibling to Edo’s son, Wolfie.
The baby will be the second grandchild for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and will be the Queen’s eleventh great-grandchild.
Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, is the only princess in the British royal family to marry someone with children and take on a stepchild.
Her property tycoon husband shares a young son, two-year-old Christopher ‘Wolfie’ Woolf, with his glamorous former fiancée of three-and-a-half years, Dara Huang.
The Queen ‘s granddaughter described her role as a stepmother to Edo’s son Wolfie, five, calling him her ‘bonus son’ during an interview with author Giovanna Fletcher for Hello!’s Back to School digital issue.
The only other step-parent in Queen Elizabeth II’s immediate family is her son Prince Charles, who became stepfather to Camilla Parker Bowles’ son Tom and daughter Laura when they wed in 2005.
In February, Beatrice’s sister Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed baby August., pictured L-R with dad Jack. She welcomed her first child, who is 11th in line to the throne, with Jack on February 9 at London’s Portland Hospital.
In turn, the Duchess of Cornwall has become a stepmother to William and Harry and a stepgrandmother to Wills and Kate’s children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two.
In February, Beatrice’s sister Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed baby August.
She welcomed her first child, who is 11th in line to the throne, with Jack on February 9 at London’s Portland Hospital. The couple were pictured leaving the hospital three days later on February 12.
Last month, the new mother revealed the name and shared her first family picture with her son – the Queen’s ninth great grandchild – which is thought to have been taken in the grounds of Frogmore Cottage, where the couple are currently living.
Eugenie went on to reveal the name was a touching tribute to Queen Victoria’s Husband Prince Albert, whose birth name was Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, and Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99 this year.
On Mother’s Day, Princess Eugenie paid tribute to her mother in a throwback snap where Fergie can be seen holding her as a baby back in 1990.
Alongside the touching tributes, the Queen’s granddaughter penned: ‘I’m so excited to be August’s mum and as you can see I’m enjoying my first Mother’s Day.’
‘I’m also celebrating my beautiful Mumma with this picture of us from March 1990. You’ve taught me so much. Happy Mother’s Day to all.’