Inside Sarah Ferguson's 'turbulent' relationship with late mother Susan that left 'profound scars'
The Duchess of York was 12 when her mother "left the family"
Sarah Ferguson has opened up about her late mum in recent months and even shared an Instagram post concerning mental health.
The Duchess of York addressed social media followers on Monday (June 16, 2025) about the vital need to “promote open conversations about mental health” and how to improve access to healthcare across society. She also noted she has recently spent time at a Swiss clinic to learn more about its “discreet, bespoke care for those facing complex mental health and addiction challenges”.
Meanwhile, in an article penned for The Telegraph published just a few hours before her Insta upload, Sarah Ferguson also shared how she has been affected by “profound scars” from when she was younger.
‘There is no shame in taking the steps towards healing’
Sarah, the mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, told supporters she shares the same mission as those of esteemed medics – to “bring mental health out of the shadows and into open, compassionate conversation”.
“If you or someone you know is struggling, I encourage you to seek help,” Sarah added in her post’s caption.
She went on: “You are not alone, and there is no shame in taking the steps towards healing.”
And in her newspaper piece, Sarah revealed more about her own experiences.
Sarah Ferguson on her mum
Sarah’s mum Susan Barrantes died in 1998 aged 61 following a car crash in Argentina.
Susan eloped with Argentinian polo player Hector Barrantes in 1975, a year following her divorce from Sarah’s father Sir Ronald Ferguson. Even though her parents had split by the time Susan left the country, her bold move still caused ripples in social circles.
Nonetheless, Sarah has remembered her mother fondly on previous occasions.
“I think constantly of her zest for life and her shining spirit,” Sarah wrote in a social media tribute in October 2024. Like all of us, she made mistakes but she taught me to value each and every day and to always seek to treat people with kindness. I miss her greatly.”
In her newspaper article shared earlier this year, Sarah indicated challenges from her childhood had long-lasting consequences.
Sarah Ferguson on ‘profound scars’
She emotionally explained that public ridicule, as well as her abandonment by her mother, had a big impact on her mental health
Sarah described “the profound scars” that were left “when my mother left the family when I was 12 for a new life in South America”.
She said these scars “led to feelings of unworthiness [that] contributed to an unhealthy attitude to food that often threatened to spiral into a full-scale eating disorder”.
Cruelly mocked as the “Duchess of Pork” and “Fat Fergie” in tabloid headlines, Sarah drew parallels with newspapers in years past to “more recent comments on social media (which I regard as a cesspit)”.
Fergie heart-wrenchingly detailed of the fall out from her mother’s affair: “She’d just found her love and I didn’t want to hurt her because she was so happy, and I’d seen her unhappy. So, I just ate my emotions. I ate my feelings. Which is why I had weight problems from the age of 12.”
Previously, in 2015, Fergie wrote a heartfelt letter for her late mum. She said she missed and forgave her for leaving her to be with her second husband.
As reported by HELLO! at the time, Sarah reportedly opened her heart: “I look back now and thank you, forgive you, and love you more. You gave me the strength to look at life differently.
“I am convinced I would never be the strong person I am inwardly had I not had to come to terms with the sense of abandonment.
“I wish for you to be looking over my shoulder right now, and realise that you gave me empathy, which holds me in steadfastness and an understanding of belief in myself. I do forgive you completely.”
Fergie’s mother allegedly had an affair with Prince Philip
Fergie also faced a world of turbulence when it came to her mother’s alleged relationship with Prince Philip, as claimed by Andrew Lownie’s bombshell biography about Prince Andrew – dubbed Entitled.
According to Lownie, Sarah’s mother was “exasperated by her husband’s [Sir Ronald Ferguson] philandering, which she believed had begun in 1961 and included one of her bridesmaids’ and this is when she allegedly started her affair with Prince Philip.”
At the time of Fergie’s wedding, tongues were wagging.
Fergie’s mother and her step-father attended her wedding, where Sarah Ferguson married into the royal fold. At the time, Susan was supposedly reunite with the then Duke of Edinburgh.
Lownie alleged: “The father of the groom and mother of the bride – lovers twenty years earlier – sat in the third carriage waving to the crowds.”
These claims have vehemently been opposed by royal observers.
Royal Insider has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Fergie’s cancer diagnoses
Meanwhile, in her Telegraph article, Sarah Ferguson also reflected on how two cancer diagnoses had touched her life.
I don’t mind admitting that my mind went to some dark places.
Sarah went on: “Most recently, I don’t mind admitting that my mind went to some dark places – focusing on my own mortality – when I was diagnosed with first breast cancer and then skin cancer, which my father had when he died and also killed my best friend.”
Read more: Sarah Ferguson feared if she was ‘going to see her grandchildren’ after two cancer diagnoses
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