Sarah Ferguson wants to "celebrate" Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Sarah Ferguson
The 60-year-old writer - who is the former wife of Prince Andrew - has spoken out in defence of Meghan, after the royal has been the subject of public scrutiny ever since she tied the knot with Prince Harry in May 2018.
Sarah - who has daughters Princess Beatrice, 31, and Princess Eugenie, 29, with Andrew - said she doesn't have any "advice" for the former 'Suits' actress, but believes people should be "celebrating" the beauty, because she is "modern and fabulous".
She said: "It must be hard for Meghan, and I can relate to her. I believe she is modern and fabulous. She was famous before. She is great. Why can't Meghan be great? Why can't she be celebrated?
"Any advice for her? I tend not to give advice because it is taken out of context, but I have been in Meghan's shoes, and I still am. There's always a twist of negativity and it just gets so sad and tiring; it's hard and mean. I abhor bullying and I feel desperately sorry for the pain they must be going through because I've been through it."
The Duchess of York - who is affectionately known as Fergie - has learned to deal with negativity through her years in the public eye, but still finds things "difficult" at times.
Speaking to Vogue Arabia, she added: "It was difficult but I'm here now - I feel the chains of my soul are freed. It's still difficult, though."
Meanwhile, Meghan's friend Bryony Gordon recently claimed the 38-year-old royal - who has six-month-old son Archie with Prince Harry - doesn't want "people to love her", and instead just wants to "be heard".
Bryony explained: "If I have learnt anything about Meghan in the time I have known her, it is that she is a doer, not a wallower. She lives in the solution, not the problem.
"She told me that she didn't want people to love her - she just wanted them to be able to hear her. I have found that this is what the Duchess of Sussex stands for: using her voice to help give one to people less privileged than her."
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