Sarah Ferguson has slammed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in her most penetrating attack yet – as she said royals ‘can’t go both ways’ if they choose to leave, saying they have to decide whether they’re ‘in or out’ ‘ want to be.
The Duchess of York, 63, spoke candidly in an interview amid speculation whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have stepped down as senior members of the royal family, will attend the coronation.
Speak against The independent, she said ‘you chose to leave, now go and live it’, adding, ‘Well you can’t have it both ways. You can’t sit on the fence and keep one foot in and one foot out. You’re in or out.’
And when she appeared on Loose Women today, she echoed her comments — saying she’s not expecting an invitation to the coronation because “you can’t have it both ways.”
It’s the second time Fergie has appeared to distance herself from Meghan in recent months — after previously saying she “don’t know her.”
Sarah Ferguson says royals ‘can’t have it both ways’ if they choose to leave, saying they have to decide if they want to be ‘in or out’
Fergi, who still shares the Royal Lodge in Windsor with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, is currently promoting her new romance novel, A Most Intriguing Lady.
Despite being divorced, the Duchess is allowed to continue to refer to herself as Sarah, Duchess of York until she marries someone else, at which point she would lose her title.
Sarah echoed the sentiment again today in an interview with Loose Women.
Speaking to the panelists, she revealed her plans for the coronation are to “watch it on television,” put up some flags and enjoy “a little tea room and a coronation chicken sandwich.”
The Duchess is even considering driving the corgis to visit a nearby retirement home.
“I always like to watch it on television because you hear a lot on television, the commentator is always good and then the whole family comes back,” she explained, seemingly suggesting she didn’t expect to be so deeply involved in family matters .
‘Cause remember I’m divorced from him, so I don’t expect… you can’t have it both ways. You can’t be divorced and say, “I want this.”‘
Sarah continued, “I really love being supportive…even when the family comes home, I know all the ins and outs and commentary on television.”
The Duchess of York, 63, spoke candidly in an interview amid speculation whether Prince Harry (left) and Meghan Markle (right), who have stepped down as senior members of the royal family, will attend the coronation
Fergie also praised her former brother-in-law for anticipating a big day for both the “nation” and the “world.”
“He will be a great king and a beautiful Camilla by his side,” the Duchess said, particularly praising his environmental efforts.
She also thinks it is “great” that Camilla will be the “Queen” instead of “Queen Consort” as she has “been tireless with him.”
Prince Harry and Meghan made headlines in January 2020 when they announced they would step down as senior members of the royal family and will no longer receive public funds.
In an announcement at the time, they said: “We intend to step back as senior members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty the Queen.”
The couple later moved to Montecito, California, with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
And it’s not the first time Fergie has seemed to distance himself from Meghan.
The Duchess of York told The Telegraph she “doesn’t know” Meghan, who currently lives in her $14 million California mansion after abdicating royal duty.
The mother-of-two said: “I don’t really know Meghan. I haven’t really met her.’
However, the claim is in direct contradiction to the Sussexes, who both claimed that Fergie was one of the friendlier members of the royal family – even recalling a drink with Sarah at her home in The Royal Lodge.
Sarah echoed the sentiment again today in an interview with Loose Women. Speaking to the panelists, she revealed her plans for the coronation are to “watch it on television”
The Duchess is even considering driving the corgis to visit a nearby retirement home. Pictured today on Loose Women
In both the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview and Harry’s book Spare, the Sussexes said it was Sarah who taught Meghan how to take a bow ahead of her first meeting with the late Queen.
Elsewhere, Fergie said she spoke to Meghan at the Queen’s funeral in September, adding: “She looked absolutely stunning. I think she’s beautiful.’
In the Oprah interview, which aired in early 2021, the Duchess of Sussex said Fergie was the person who taught her how to bow.
She claimed that when she first went to meet the Queen at The Royal Lodge in Windsor she ‘didn’t even know how to take a bow’ and was shocked when Harry explained that it was expected of her.
Meghan said: “I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family. I didn’t quite understand what the job was.’
The mom-to-be said this was when “the penny dropped” that her perception of the Firm was “very different” from reality, and that she needed to learn how to perform the royal custom “really quickly.”
She said, “I didn’t know I was going to meet her until a few moments before. We were in the car and we went to the Royal Lodge for lunch, and he [Harry] was like, “Oh, my grandma’s here, she’ll be there after church.”.
“Right in front of the house, we practiced and ran in. Fergie ran out and said, “Do you know how to bend?” she recalls.
“Apparently I took a very low bow, I can’t remember, and then we sat there and talked.
Meanwhile, Harry also told a similar story in his book Spare, writing that he had actually hoped that Fergie would be the first member of the family to meet Meghan as his girlfriend.
He wrote that it was October 2016 and explained: ‘First stop, Royal Lodge. To meet Fergie, because Meg already knew Fergie’s daughter Euge, and Jack, so this seemed like a natural baby step.’
He added, “Fergie came out with a little flutter and said, ‘Do you know how to take a bow?’ Meg shook her head. Fergie demonstrated once. Meg imitated her.
As we headed for the door, Fergie and I both leaned into Meg, whispering quick memories. When you first meet the Queen, it’s Your Majesty. After that it’s just Ms. Rhymes with ham. Whatever you do, don’t talk over her, we both said, talking over each other.’
The Sussexes have both claimed that Fergie has been one of the friendliest members of the royal family – they even remember having a drink with Sarah at her home in The Royal Lodge
Elsewhere, Fergie said she spoke to Meghan at the Queen’s funeral in September, adding that she thought she “looked beautiful” (far left in the photo Meghan and far right Sarah)
After Meghan met the Queen, Harry writes that they stayed at Royal Lodge for drinks.
It is not known on what other occasions the two women crossed paths – with Meghan serving as a working member of the royal family for only a few years before moving to the US.
There has been speculation for months whether Harry and Meghan will attend King Charles’ coronation on May 6, 2023.
Charles ascended the throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 last year, ending Her Majesty’s 70-year reign.
However, the presence of Harry and Meghan at the ceremony has been the subject of much speculation.
The couple’s need to monetize media deals “linked to their royal status” has reportedly angered the royal family.
This comes on the heels of the release of Harry’s book Spare and the bombshell Netflix docuseries the royal couple starred in a few months ago.
Spare’s release and Harry & Meghan’s broadcast have exposed the grievances the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have with other members of the royal family.
In a recent televised interview promoting his book, Harry declined to confirm whether he and Meghan would attend the coronation.
He has since confirmed that the pair are invited, but has not revealed whether they will be attending.