Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, Duke of York attend day 4 of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 19, 2015 in Ascot, England. Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Sarah Ferguson said that, when it comes to marrying Prince Andrew, she “would do it all over again, 100 percent.”

In a revealing interview alongside her older sister Jane Luedecke for The Sunday Times, Ferguson said of her ex-husband the Duke of York — whom she married in 1986 and divorced 10 years later — “I was totally and utterly in love with Andrew.”

“He’s the best, a great man with a great heart, and kind,” she added. Of their July 23, 1986 nuptials, “Our wedding was the best day of my life,” she continued. “But I gave up my anonymity that day. I was able to because love conquers all. It’s still with us today.”

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Prince Andrew, Duke of York attend day four of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 21, 2019 in Ascot, England.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The former couple share two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and after their 1996 divorce have remained close friends, even living together at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate up to the present day. The Duchess of York, 65, has stood by Prince Andrew, 64, amid scandals like his disastrous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, allegations of sexual assault, his forced step back from his role as a working royal, his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and, most recently, his association with an alleged Chinese spy.

“I won’t let him down,” Ferguson told The Sunday Times of her ex-husband. “He supports me as much as I support him. He’s supported me through thick and thin, not just marriage or divorce. We agree on the three Cs — communication, compromise, compassion.”

Recalling back to her sister Jane leaving for Australia, “I became a carer for Dad,” Ferguson said of their father, Major Ronald Ferguson, who died in 2003. “I was left to look after a sad man, which is sort of what I’m doing now.”

Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York arrive to attend a thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine of the Hellenes, at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Feb. 27, 2024.CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Even before her marriage to Prince Andrew, Ferguson was closely connected to the royal family. “I’ve known the King all my life, and I absolutely adore him,” Ferguson said of King Charles. “He’s kind and makes me laugh, and I love that he still calls me Fergie,” she added, referring to her popular nickname.

She recalled her mother telling her, “Don’t be naughty with the Prince of Wales [Charles’ former title before becoming King] when he comes to stay, don’t duck him in the pool.” Ferguson added, “I’d duck him straight in the pool and put a fake dog turd outside his room. He thought it was hilarious.”

Ferguson told The Sunday Times that King Charles’ second wife, Queen Camilla, “was close friends with Mum, which is why we’re so close now.” But Charles’ first wife, Princess Diana, “was my best friend from the age of 14,” she said. “That’s why it’s so big that the Queen and I get on now. It’s rather nice, and she reminds me of Mum. I admire the extraordinary support she’s giving this country. I want to do as much for the Queen as possible. I wish they’d ask me to do more.”

Of Queen Elizabeth, Ferguson said they “got on so well”: “My Mum was her close friend, so she knew me all my life and she loved me,” she told the outlet. “The Queen was much more my mother than my mother was. I called her Mumma. She never let me down, even if I let her down. Even through the darkest days, she never left me. Though I still got nervous seeing her right up until the end because she was the Queen of England. I had many COVID jabs so I could walk the dogs with her.”

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her sixieth birthday on April 21, 1986 at Buckingham Palace in London. The Queen was joined on the balcony of the palace by Prince Philip (R), Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah, Duchess of York, as they listened to thousands of children singing. David Levenson/Getty

After Queen Elizabeth’s death on Sept. 8, 2022, Ferguson inherited her two remaining corgis, Sandy and Muick, who now live with her and Prince Andrew at Royal Lodge. “They’re phenomenal,” Ferguson said.

Of Prince Andrew, Ferguson told The Sunday Times that she first met him when she was 12. “My first thought was that I was going to marry him,” she said. “We came back into each other’s lives when Diana invited me to Ascot in 1985, and six months later we were engaged. You weren’t allowed to hang out or live with each other then. Diana couldn’t, I couldn’t. But they learned from us, and Sophie [the Duchess of Edinburgh, who married Prince Edward in 1999] and Catherine [the Princess of Wales, who married Prince William in 2011] could. They both got to know their boys.”

After Ferguson married into the royal family, “I was ‘the breath of fresh air,’ ” she said. “Everyone loved me — it was addictive. I think what I did wrong was I got lost, probably trying to be like Diana.”

Princess Diana with Sarah Ferguson at the Guard’s Polo Club, Windsor, June 1983.Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

She mentioned her addiction to food, telling the outlet that “The fact I could eat my emotions was the only thing that saved my life.” After the media began calling her the “Duchess of Pork” — a cruel play on her title, the Duchess of York — “I believed my critics,” Ferguson said. “But the Queen never lost me. The best advice she gave me was the last thing she said to me: ‘Sarah, remember that yourself is good enough.’ It makes me cry.”

In recent years, Ferguson has battled both breast cancer and skin cancer, recalling that her sister Jane “insisted I get a mammogram. She saved my life. I was sure I was going to die, then I looked up ‘mastectomy’ and faced it. Now I love Derek and Eric, as I call my breasts.”

Of her second cancer diagnosis, “My father died of melanoma, so when I got that diagnosis on New Year’s Eve 2023, I nearly fainted,” she said. “I’m through treatment, but I won’t go outside in the sun. Otherwise, I’ve got to live life. I’m lucky — it’s freed me from the shackles of my heart. Before, I didn’t think it was okay to be myself. Don’t wait to get cancer to free yourself.”

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew on their July 23, 1986 wedding day in London. John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty

These days, Ferguson is invested in being “a fun granny” to Beatrice’s daughter Sienna, 3, and stepson Wolfie, 8; Beatrice, 36, is also currently pregnant and due in early 2025. She’s also grandmother to August, 3, and Ernest, 1, the sons of Eugenie, 34.

“Sienna wanted a unicorn birthday party, so I dressed a white pony as a unicorn,” she said. “For the boys, August and Ernest, I’m learning about trains.”

“I know I’m alright because Beatrice, Eugenie and my sister love me,” Ferguson said as the emotionally-charged interview concluded. “I think Andrew, too. I hope so.”

Princess Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Beatrice attend Annual Charity Day hosted by Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC at BGC Partners, INC on Sept. 11, 2015 in New York City.Janette Pellegrini/Getty

As Prince Andrew’s connection to the alleged Chinese spy dominated headlines, reports emerged on Dec. 16 that neither the Duke and Duchess of York nor their daughters Princess Beatrice or Princess Eugenie would be spending Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham this year, despite being in attendance at 2023’s Christmas celebrations on the Norfolk estate.