Sarah Ferguson is every inch the doting grandmother, and after welcoming her third grandchild, Ernest, last week, she revealed the thoughtful first gift she bought for him whilst in Florence.
Talking on her new podcast, Tea Talks with the Duchess & Sarah, which she co-hosts with entrepreneur, and friend, Sarah Jane Thomson, she explained how she was in Italy to attend a mass for her friend who had passed away.
After the service, she popped into a children’s shop and picked up a pair of booties for little Ernest.
“I went to a dear friend’s mass in Florence and he died at 59, so we all went to celebrate his life and afterward I popped into a little children’s shop and bought some little blue booties.”
She added: ” I also love that sense that celebrating the death of [her friend], and here comes a new life.”
On the episode, which is the second in the series, Sarah continued to explain that whilst buying the thoughtful gift, Princess Eugenie shared baby Ernest’s full name with her for the first time, which was steeped in family meaning. “Ernest George Ronnie,” Sarah said, sharing his full name with listeners. “Ernest, because George III’s middle name was Ernest, and also because it’s a fabulous name.
“Then George after Jack’s [Brooksbank] father, and then Ronnie after my father, which is really touching. When Jack and Eugenie told me, it was so moving that they had put my dad in there, it made me cry. Luckily at the time, I was in a children’s shop.” She also said: “He’s a very very, seriously beautiful little boy, but of course, everyone is going to say that, but of course he is.”
It appears as though the former wife of Prince Andrew already has her hands full as a grandmother-of-three and also chatted about looking after Princess Beatrice’s daughter, Sienna, whilst the Princess attended the recent Jordanian wedding.
Sarah gushed: “While Beatrice was away in Jordan, I was allowed to have Sienna to play.” She added: “And the last couple of days I’ve managed to really have a bond, and guess what my bond is? I give her a little sip of tea out of my teacup.
“So now I give her a tiny bit of tea. Don’t worry, for the listeners that are saying ‘no, no’, I put some cold water in it – she doesn’t know – so it’s a special treat for GG to do a little tea. It was a very sweet moment.”
Despite not attending the wedding herself, Sarah was certainly there in spirit, as Beatrice donned her mother’s tiara for the evening reception – although there was nearly a mishap with the special heirloom.
Sarah explained that the hairdresser mistakenly placed the tiara in front of the Princess’s head before Beatrice corrected it. “I think (the hairdresser) had been studying Disney princesses,” the Duchess quipped.
The special piece was a gift from Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Duchess wore the special gift on her wedding day in 1986.
