The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson has issued a subtle message to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid their ongoing rift with King Charles and Prince William, a royal author has claimed.
The Duchess of York says she is “full of admiration” for the Princess of Wales after Catherine revealed her battle with cancer.
The Duchess – who shares two daughters with Prince Andrew – revealed in January that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Sarah Ferguson said her thoughts and prayers are with Princess Catherine.
“As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis and know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness,” she said in a statement on the social media platform X.
“I hope she will now be given the time, space and privacy to heal.”
The 64-year-old was asked in an interview with PEOPLE magazine if she had been supporting King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales who have both been receiving treatment for cancer this year.
The Duchess has had her own battles with the disease, having underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery last year due to breast cancer, while also being diagnosed with skin cancer earlier in 2024.
Speaking on the red carpet at last week’s amfAR Gala, held annually at the Cannes Film Festival, the Duchess of York waxed lyrical about “forgiveness”.
Sarah Ferguson has delivered a subtle message to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid their feud with King Charles and Prince William as she outlined the importance of “forgiveness.” Picture: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for amfAR)
“I think family unity is key… I think the key to life is that we all support each other,” the Duchess said.
“And also forgiveness is a great thing. I think forgiveness of yourself, and forgiveness of others,” she added.
Royal author and expert Tom Quinn has suggested Fergie’s comments were a “clear reference to Meghan and Harry’s ongoing feud with Prince William and King Charles.”
“But the Duchess has her own well-publicised family difficulties to deal with – she has never stopped trying to persuade the senior royals to rehabilitate her former husband Prince Andrew and when she talked about unity and the need for forgiveness, she no doubt also had her husband in mind,” Quinn told The Mirror.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are wanting to visit another African country following their trip to Nigeria.
The couple faced criticism for their Nigeria trip as it had the characteristics of a Commonwealth Royal tour despite the visit being about the upcoming Invictus Games.
Despite criticism from their non-royal “Royal tour”, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are wanted by Ghana.
The African country has reportedly invited the couple to the country’s capital of Accra, according to a Sussex insider.
According to The Mirror, Ghana’s leaders will “pull out all the stops” to convince the Sussexes to visit them.
“There is already a lot of talk and excitement in Ghana, everyone is so keen for Harry and Meghan to come and experience the great culture and warmth,” an insider said.
Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the immediate royal family – especially Charles and William – has been frosty since their decision in 2020 to leave their roles as working royals, opting to move from London for a new life in California.
The couple’s 2022 Netflix series Harry and Meghan involved wild claims about the royal family including Harry accusing William of leaking negative stories about him and his wife to the British press.
The Duke of Sussex’s 2023 memoir Spare also did himself no favours as it caused a further divide between himself and his father and brother.
Harry reportedly attempted to build a bridge with his family in a recent visit to London however he was unable to meet with either Charles or William.
Author Douglas Murray says Prince Harry is “clearly badly advised” and “doesn’t think very far ahead” following issues surrounding his US visa.
“I’m not wild about this because this one makes me feel rather sorry for Prince Harry,” Mr Murray told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
“It takes a bit for me to do that. I mean, this is his sort of personal immigration situation.
“He’s clearly badly advised.
“He clearly doesn’t think very far ahead of himself, and … that’s the only time you’ll get a grunting of pity for the Spare prince from me.”
Harry and Meghan then embarked on a trip to Nigeria, dubbed an “unofficial” royal tour, which left the monarch and William “furious”.
“William is absolutely furious and determined to find a way to stop this happening in future. Charles is said to be angrier than anyone has ever seen him,” Quinn told The Mirror at the time.
“What’s really upset the applecart is the fact that the Nigerians treated Meghan and Harry as if they too thought this was an official tour – all the signs were there as the couple were greeted with dances, receptions, visits to schools and charities.”