Sarah Ferguson says she understands Meghan Markle's 'pain', defends Prince Andrew over Epstein scandal: 'He is the best man I know'
Sarah Ferguson addressed the scandal surrounding her ex-husband Prince Andrew over his friendship with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein last month, calling him "the best man I know" and rubbished the "nonsense" that the media was spinning to tarnish his reputation.
The Duke of York's former wife told Vogue that the negative press that has resulted from Prince Andrew's decision to clear the air with a BBC Newsnight interview, has affected the lives of their two daughters.
"The last six months have been hard on the girls and me. To see such a wonderful man go through such enormous pain. He is the best man I know. It's just incredible what he has done for Britain, and it's all nonsense, so I talk about familyhood, and I'm very strong about it," she said.
After Epstein's alleged sex slave Virginia Giuffre claimed that she slept with the Andrew at Ghislaine Maxwell's home in New York and the US Virgin Islands as a 17-year-old in 2001, he denied it saying in the interview that he was on a trip to Pizza Express on the night his accuser claimed he slept with her.
Instead of making the scandal go away, the interview drew ridicule, forcing the Queen to sack him and cause him to lose his Royal annual paycheck that paid for his extravagant lifestyle.
When Sarah was asked about the media coverage of Meghan Markle that has even provoked her husband, Prince Harry, to file multiple lawsuits against a number of British tabloids, the Duchess of York said she sympathized with the American-born duchess' plight.
"It must be hard for Meghan, and I can relate to her. I believe she is modern and fabulous. She was famous before," she said. "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."