Inside Sarah Ferguson's reinvention from reading books to kids to charity work

Sarah Ferguson’s reinvention amid the coronavirus lockdown has won over a legion of new fans, according to royal expert Camilla Tominey.

The Duchess of York, 61, has been at the forefront of the Royal Family’s response to the global pandemic with her volunteering efforts, and she even launched a daily YouTube show.

As part of her new social media channel, The Royal read a series of different children’s books to help keep the little ones entertained during the crisis.

The mother-of-two boasts an impressive 4,5000 subscribers, with 480,000 people across the nation having watched some of her videos.

Sarah’s stories also feature an array of different guests including Prince Harry’s ex Cressida Bonas and Stephen Fry.

In one of the episodes, Fergie, who spent lockdown with ex-husband Prince Andrew, daughter Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank at Royal Lodge, Windsor, dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and was joined by a mystery guest in a wolf mask and nightgown.

Elsewhere, she posted a make-up free snap before putting on a very animated reading of a children’s book with the help of a toy unicorn.

During lockdown, the Duchess of York has also launched a new charitable foundation ‘Sarah’s Trust’ with aim of making ‘a long lasting difference to vulnerable communities’.

The Trust describes its works online as providing a ‘vital bridge’ between ‘individuals with social responsibility and the financial ability’ to give philanthropically with charities in need.

She revealed her new charity made 150,000 donations to frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic and said hundreds were ‘personally funded’ by Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.

Writing for The Telegraph, Camilla said: “Like a sort of wonky Phoenix, rising from the flames of Andrew’s car crash Newsnight interview, Fergie appears to have turned a crisis into an opportunity by using the lockdown to reinvent herself.”

Fergie spent lockdown co-writing debut novel, Her Heart for a Compass, with Mills & Boon author Marguerite Kaye.

The protagonist, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, is inspired by the life of the Duchess’s great-great-aunt.

“I think everyone will see the parallels [with Lady Margaret]: she’s a redhead, she makes her own way in life, she rides horses, she’s headstrong,” Sarah told Hello!.

“But ultimately this is a work of fiction: I hope people won’t read too much into it.

“It has been an opportunity to tell a story of self-discovery and a chance to feel closer to my past. I did Who Do You Think You Are? on myself.”

Sarah, the proud mother to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, has dedicated her novel, which is released this week, to “my beautiful girls, who have all the strength and courage of Lady Margaret, and so much more, and who have not waited until they are 61 years old to follow their hearts and to live life on their own terms”.

“What I meant by that was that I was very deeply scarred and insecure,” Sarah said.

“For a period of time, I had no idea who I was. I got married to the most wonderful man – it was happiest day of my life, I adored getting married, and it was such a love story and he’s such a good man. But then in about September 1988, it started to change.”

Sarah began a relationship with Prince Andrew in 1985, and they were married on 23 July 1986 at Westminster Abbey.

Their marriage, separation in 1992, and divorce in 1996 attracted much media coverage at the time.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk