Sarah Ferguson has praised Meghan Markle following the announcement that she has written a children's book, titled The Bench.
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Prince Andrew's former wife, who herself has written 74 books over the past 30 years, revealed that "to sit down and work hard to write a book, in any genre, should be supported and respected."
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She further told Sebastian Shakespeare for the Daily Mail: "To encourage literacy in general not just children's books, is a love of mine and to encourage more women to delve into their creative selves and get a book out is very well done."
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's mum has an exciting launch to look forward to this year as she herself has written a historical romance novel called Her Heart For A Compass, co-written with Marguerita Kaye, for Mills & Boon.
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"I have written 74 books over 30 years but this one is special as it was written during the pandemic and is my first ever historical novel," she told the publication, "something I have been waiting to write for 15 years."
© Photo: Getty ImagesSarah has written many books throughout the years
Her Heart for a Compass, which will be published on 3 August, is a fictional account of the life of the Duchess's great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott.
The narrative of Lady Margaret incorporates research into the Duchess's heritage and draws upon her own unique life journey and experiences.
The announcement was made earlier this year, with Sarah releasing a statement which read: "It all started with researching my ancestry. Digging into the history of the Montagu-Douglas Scotts, I first came across Lady Margaret, who intrigued me because she shared one of my given names.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Duchess promoting her book in New York back in 2003
"But although her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, were close friends with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, I was unable to discover much about my namesake's early life, and so was born the idea which became Her Hear for a Compass.
"With real historical events and facts to hand, my imagination took over. I invented a history for her that incorporated real people and events, including some of my other ancestors. I created a friendship between my heroine and Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's sixth child, and I drew on many parallels from my life for Lady Margaret's journey."
Of her decision to release this novel, Sarah concluded: "I have long held a passion for historical research and telling the stories of strong women in history through film and television. I am proud to bring my personal brand of historical fiction to the publishing world."
