Sarah Ferguson says she wore green to her daughter Princess Eugenie's wedding to show off her pride of her Irish roots on her special day.
‘Fergie’ is one of the best-known figures in the UK royal family, but her Celtic roots remain solid.
And the Duchess of York, 61, said she purposely donned a striking emerald green ensemble to her daughter’s big day in 2018, as a tribute to her Irish heritage.
“I have always loved Ireland and been proud of my Irish roots, so much so that I wore green for Ireland at Eugenie’s wedding.
“My mother was granddaughter to the Irish peer Mervyn Wingfield, 8th Viscount Powerscourt
“They once owned a grand estate at Powerscourt, which has the tallest waterfall in Ireland or Britain,” she told RTE Guide.
The red headed royal, who has just published her first adult novel ‘Her Heart For A Compass’, which is partly set in Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow added:
“I’ve had my own happy times in Ireland too, such as when I met Irish showjumper Robert Splaine and his horse called Heather Blaze, which I went on to own.
“Meeting him rekindled my love of showjumping and I became known as the ‘Duchess of Cork’ and even won a showjumping event on my own horse called Mitch.”
Her new romantic tale tells a fictional account of the life and love story of the Duchess’ great-great aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott.
Mills & Boon have described the novel – which was published earlier this week – as an “immersive historical saga” and Ferguson has said much of the novel takes inspiration from her own life, too.
Speaking of her pride at forging a new writing career in her 60s, she added: “I have wanted to write this novel for 15 years.
"It all started when I began to research the history of my family, and found a long line of strong-willed, red-headed Scottish and Irish women, among them Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, my great-great aunt.
“So many of the family characteristics seemed to have been passed on in the DNA, and taught me a lot about myself."
