Books

While exploring R.I., the Duchess of York talks ‘Bridgerton,’ Taylor Swift, ‘Friends’ – and choosing joy

“I’m a super sexy granny, a badass with purpose. And to be a badass with purpose means you carry on," says Sarah Ferguson.

By Lauren Daley

July 30, 2024

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Watch Hill, Rhode Island was “extraordinary, really. Like going into a film set,” Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, Duchess of York, tells me. 

But as we Zoom, she’s off to Newport.

“I’ve got the San Francisco bridge behind me,” she says with a chuckle about her Zoom background. But actually, “I’m on my way now, Lauren, to see the most incredible sculptures. They’re all elephants. I’ll send you the photographs.”

Ferguson Zoomed from her car during a days-long exploration of southern New England that included a stay in Boston (“I love the city — I love the Four Seasons Hotel”) and a visit to  The Great Elephant Migration — an art installation of some 100 life-sized elephants that were in London in 2021 and are in Newport now.  

A patron of Elephant Family since it was established, Ferguson, 64, is twinned with a member of the herd: The redhead’s elephant, Mayflower — the only red elephant — is named after a red-flowered tree that grows in the Nilgiri Hills.

While that visit drew local camera crews and fans, Ferguson was actually in Rhode Island to discuss her latest historical novel, “A Most Intriguing Lady,” at Watch Hill’s luxe Ocean House.

And that’s the reason we’re talking.

The author/philanthropist/activist/film producer met fans, discussed the book and signed copies during a sold-out talk, part of Ocean House co-owner/bestselling Rhody author Deborah Goodrich Royce’s stellar Ocean House Author Series. 

Set in Scotland in 1872, “A Most Intriguing Lady” — her bestseller co-written with genre vet Marguerite Kaye —  draws from the life of Ferguson’s great-great aunt, Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott. This is their second Victorian-set novel:  “Her Heart for a Compass” (2021) was based on the life of Mary’s sister, Lady Margaret.

With shades of “Bridgerton,” plenty of “Downton Abbey” vibes, and a dash of amateur-sleuth caper, the tales may soon hit a screen near you, Ferguson hints. And she’s “definitely” planning a third book: “I’ve got to find another great aunt. I might go to Ireland to find another wacky aunt somewhere.”

In our Zoom, Fergie was down-to-earth, warm, and laughed easily. There were parameters to the interview — a limit on royal family talk. If you’re looking for royal gossip, there are a million tabloid sites that have you covered. Here, we talked her book, New England, Taylor Swift, Princess Diana, “Bridgerton” (Shonda, please make this dream happen), how she learned to “choose joy”  after years scrutinized in tabloids, and “Friends.” (“That’s Fergie, baby!”)

Boston.com: You’ve covered Westerly and are now going to Newport. Have you been to Rhode Island before? 

Sarah Ferguson: I’ve been to Rhode Island quite a few times. I’m really enjoying it. And I’m a great Massachusetts fan. I love being by the ocean. We’ve had a [few days of fog]; I walked in here to Watch Hill, I said to everybody, “For heaven’s sake, I understand New England is new England, but could you at least not copy the weather?”

[laughs] So your book talk at Ocean House sold out. 

The talk was interesting. The book is [based after] one of my great-great aunts, Lady Mary. She was left at home, really — her mum was always ill, so she kept going off in search of spas. In those days, that was a huge amount of travel. [Her sister] Lady Margaret had gone and got married so it was just Lady Mary at home in the incredible castles: Drumlanrig Castle and Dalkeith Palace. So what happened, Lauren, is she was left to explore. She had horses; the groom taught her to ride. The keepers taught her to shoot. I really brought her out of the grave. 

[But I also] have Lady Mary tightrope walking between turrets to find the person who allegedly stole the jewelry. She’s a super sleuth and a detective — [that’s] my imagination.

In your author’s introduction, you write that you’ve “drawn some deliberate parallels with my own life and used some of my own experiences… I have always instinctively been a people pleaser (sometimes to my own detriment)… also like Lady Mary, I have in the past found it easier to play a part, rather than to be my real self.”

So the whole thing about my life — and I think why I wrote that — is because I’ve had a mastectomy, I’ve had malignant melanomas, and what I’m trying to express is: Don’t wait to like yourself. Don’t think you have to be perfect for everyone. Just be who you are. And be happy with that. And own it. I am saying: Put the oxygen mask on yourself. Don’t wait until you get into real problems and realize you’ve spent your entire life running around trying to please everyone.

Do you feel you had to please other people for a long time?

Absolutely. Because I had no self-worth, Lauren. I thought that the only way to get people to like me was to do exactly what they wanted, at a detriment to myself. That is all ego, really. Savior, punisher, victim, ego — you can jump into any of them at any stage. Of course, when you jump into people-pleasing, it can cause you to go into so many different non-authentic situations within yourself.

You’ve talked about your eating disorder, which is really also important to talk about publicly.

Absolutely. The whole situation [for me] was: You think you’re worthless. You become upset because you’ve put on weight. You beat yourself up. It never ends. That’s the circle I had since the age of about 12, when my mother went to live in Argentina.

You’ve also been a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. Do you feel like you’ve come to terms with body acceptance?

Yes, I have. But it took getting a mastectomy and a very difficult year to like myself. 

How’s your health now? You were diagnosed with melanoma earlier this year.

My health is fine. I have to keep a very close vigil on my skin.

So with your books, how does collaborative writing work?

The key to life is to ask for help. The collaborating, which is a word I love, with Marguerite Kaye is so intoxicating, because I can ring her up and say, “What are you up to? Let’s go into another pass.” And we start writing. She’s spent the summer island-hopping in Scotland [where the books are set], so I ring her up and live vicariously through her, what she’s doing. My imagination is writing these stories every minute.

Have you always wanted to be a novelist?

Yes. I’ve always wanted to tell stories, write stories, communicate stories. Since I was a child. One book at school I was completely obsessed with is “Nightrunners of Bengal” [by John Masters]. I’m very drawn to India; [I’m] thinking whether my next could be something about India.

This recent book has been compared to “Bridgerton.” Do you watch the series?

I’m absolutely obsessed with “Bridgerton.” I’ve asked [executive producer] Shonda Rhimes if she can put me in the next Bridgerton [series] as an actress. 

[laughs] That’s great. Have you seen “The Crown”?

I’ve seen “The Crown.” But I’m producing a TV series called “Stockmar,” which is like “The Crown,” but set around 1830, ’40, ’50, around there. It’s about the King of the Belgians who had his right-hand courtier called Stockmar.  It’s in the development stage at this moment, so probably 2025. Also, Lauren, I’m absolutely determined to do a sequel to “Young Victoria.”

Right, the movie with Emily Blunt. [Ferguson was a producer on the film, which won the 2010 Oscar for Best Costume Design.]

I’m interested in doing a sequel to that, and will probably focus on Prince Albert and his life and how he achieved so many brilliant things for Britain.

How did “Young Victoria” come about?

I wrote two history books called “Travels with Queen Victoria” [with Benita Stoney] and “Victoria and Albert: Life at Osborne House.” Those two books I took to Hollywood; it took me 15 years to raise the funds and make the film. And Graham King of GK Films developed it for me with Julian Fellowes, who wrote the screenplay. I’m very proud of it. 

Do you think these two recent books would be adapted? 

They’ve already been bought but I think I better not say to whom yet. I’m embargoed. But yes, it has already been sold, and I’m very excited. I’m aiming for an Emmy. You know, nothing too much, Lauren.

[laughs] Right. What are you reading now?

“Ruby Falls,” by [Ocean House co-owner] Deborah Goodrich Royce. I also love Luanne Rice. Emily Dickinson, I think, is one of the finest poets. I take a lot of quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt. I became very fascinated [with history], for example, when I saw the boat Aphrodite at Watch Hill, and learned that Roosevelt had been in it during World War II. I’m very much a historian that loves to live through what and why and how. I suppose that’s why I love writing historical novels.

Taylor Swift lives in Watch Hill. Are you a fan?

Am I a Swiftie? Ah, yes! Always a Swiftie.

[laughs] Nice.

And [also] a fan of life. Of turning to joy. I seriously have to watch to make sure if something is tiring or annoying or difficult that I turn to joy. I actually choose it.

You’re also busy with your charity, Sarah’s Trust. Sarah’s Trust is about giving voice to women, too. You were good friends with Diana.

Diana and I were the closest friends and sisters-in-law. I loved her with all my heart, all the short life she lived. I loved her. She  had wonderful tinkling laughter; she had the best humor.  We really did have the best time because of the extraordinary way that she looked at life, with great humor.

I saw you were just in Cannes for Sarah’s Trust.  You travel so much — where are you going next?

I’m going to London. Then next week, I’ve got to get back to New York, so I don’t know why I’m going back to London. But I’m hoping to go to Ghana in October. I’ve had my yellow fever jab. Then I’m going back to Samoa.

And I have an absolute advocacy to obliterate plastics.  I’m obsessed with trying to find a way to stop these diapers that go into the landfill, they don’t decompose for 500 years.

So I’m a philanthropreneur, I’m a super sexy granny, a badass with purpose. 

[laughs] 

[laughs] And to be a badass with purpose means you carry on.

I have to ask: You had a cameo on the season 4 episode of “Friends” when they go to London. How did that happen?

Well, that’s why, Lauren, I’m so keen on doing “Bridgeton.” I want to do the same thing. It’s one of those things so long ago, I can’t really remember how it came about. All I know is: “Nice hat, Joey!” 

[laughs] There’s a Central Perk in Boston. Did you go there?

Oh, my goodness. No. I should’ve done that. You need to tell me where to go.

This interview has been edited and condensed. 

Lauren Daley is a freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.