The Duchess of York was on a plane headed to Australia on Sunday when she heard that her father, Major Ronald Ferguson, had died of a heart attack. Faced with the decision of whether to continue with her packed work schedule, or turn around and go home, she chose the former – because her late dad would have wanted it that way.
Sarah's decision to carry on with her Australia plans also enabled her to mourn alongside her Sydney-based sister, Jane Luedecke. "Our father would have expected us to go on and fulfil the role we were asked to do," explains the Duchess. "He would say, 'What are you doing? You have your obligations.' He always brought me up to put on the stiff upper lip and get on with it. He used to call me a wimp if I became too emotional."
The flame-haired royal had spent time with Major Ferguson on Saturday, just before embarking on her trip. "I think Dad and I had an understanding that we'd communicated with each other everything, all the lessons he wanted to give me," she says. "When I said goodbye to him he just blew me a kiss and said, 'See you soon, then'. And it's as if, deep down, I sort of said goodbye."
She will return to Britain later this week to attend her father's funeral.
Major Ferguson, who had been plagued by illness in recent years, died of a heart attack on Sunday, aged 71.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
