Sarah Ferguson Shared Queen Elizabeth's Very Last Words to Her

April 2024 · 2 minute read

While the passing of Queen Elizabeth II feels like it happened a century ago, it hasn't even a whole year, though Sept. 8 will mark the anniversary of her death. So, in a new episode of her podcast, Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, Sarah Ferguson shared a detail about her final encounter with the queen, saying that the monarch insisted that Ferguson continue to be herself and live her life the way she wanted.

Ferguson went on to explain that she knew Elizabeth was annoyed when she'd act disingenuously and, apparently, could see right through the act.

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"It's the last thing that the Queen said to me: 'Just be yourself, Sarah,'" Ferguson said. "And she saw it. She just got so annoyed when I wasn’t being myself. And that’s probably when I got into all the pickles. But now I am myself, and I’m just so lucky to be able to be myself."

Not long after Elizabeth's death, Ferguson — who famously adopted the queen's corgis after her passing— opened up about how the dynamics in the royal family changed in the wake of her death. During a conversation on Good Morning America, Fergie said she felt a bit of liberation without the pressure of pleasing the queen looming over her.

"I don't know whether it's the Queen passing that makes me think I can now openly say what I want to say without worrying I'm going to offend somebody," she said. "I'm really, truly authentic Sarah now."

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It's clear that Fergie and Elizabeth had a close relationship. Previously, the Duchess of York told People that the queen was her "total idol." Elizabeth passed back in September 2022 after a historic 70 years on the throne.

"She put you at ease straight away, because it's terrifying, you know? I used to sit there for hours thinking, 'Oh my gosh, this is somebody's lifetime to have an audience with the queen, and I'm sitting having a cup of tea,'" Ferguson said at the time. "She was so brilliant at putting you at ease. She had the most incredible faith of any single person I've ever met. She just knew what to do. She knew how to make people feel good. She never took it onboard as about her. It's about the monarchy, about making someone feel good. She was my total idol."

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