Sarah Ferguson says the Queen was 'more my mother than my own mother'

Sarah Ferguson has said the Queen was 'more my mother than my own mother' as she paid tribute to the 'legendary' late monarch.

The Duchess of York, 65, spoke fondly of her former mother-in-law while promoting her new book A Woman of Intrigue in Australia. 

Appearing on The Jess Row Big Talk Show, Sarah - whose own mother died in a car accident in Argentina in 1998 - explained how the royal was a maternal figure in her life.

She said: 'The thing about the Queen was that she was more my mother than my own mother.

'The Queen was an iconic, legendary, stalwart, steadfast, invisible hand of love behind your back.'

Although they had a loving relationship, Sarah did admit that she had to 'keep her wits about her' while around the Queen.

She continued: 'I mean, she was the grandmother of the nation. She was the steadfastness of an extraordinary pillar of strength for the Commonwealth, for the nation, for Australia, for the world.'

What's more, the Duchess also gave an update on the Queen's two beloved corgis Muick and Sandy, who now live with Sarah and Prince Andrew at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

'They are national treasures,' Sarah said. 'So they are very spoiled.'

On the one year anniversary of the late royal's death, Fergie called the Queen her 'second mother' in an emotional tribute and added: 'I will miss her more than words can express.'

The Duchess' parents Ronald Ferguson and Susan Wright divorced after 18 years of marriage in 1974 - when Fergie was 15 years old.

According to BBC News, the marriage ended as a result of the Major's affair with one of his wife's best friends.  

The following year, Susan caused a stir in British social circles when she eloped with Argentinian polo player Hector Barrantes and left her daughters in the care of their father.

During their 15 year marriage, Susan - who had earned the nickname 'the bolter' - travelled the world following Hector's polo career and set up the Estancia El Pucara range, which they later developed into a equestrian centre. 

Despite the Falklands War making it difficult to visit the UK, Susan and Hector both attended Sarah's wedding to Prince Andrew in 1986. 

After Hector died of cancer in 1990, Susan remained in Argentina - where she set up her own TV production company and would regularly commute to Buenos Aires for work.

While returning home from a lunch with friends in September 1998, Sarah's Land Rover collided head-on with a truck on a provincial highway.

Tragically, Susan - who was 61 at the time - died instantly while her nephew Rafael Barrantes and the other driver Jose Maria Rodriguez both sustained minimal injuries. 

Earlier this year, the Duchess marked the anniversary of her mother's death on Instagram - and said she was 'far too young to be taken from us'. 

Sarah's emotional Instagram post said: 'My much-loved mother Susie died 26 years ago today.

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'She was far too young to be taken from us and I often reflect on the fact that at just 61, she was younger than I am now when she died in a cruel accident.

'I think constantly of her zest for life and her shining spirit. Like all of us, she made mistakes but she taught me to value each and every day and to always seek to treat people with kindness. I miss her greatly.'

In an interview with Hello magazine in 2011, Sarah said that she had a premonition that her mother would one day die in a car accident.

She said: 'She was a wonderful mother and I loved every moment with her . . . I used to leave messages for her when I was little, saying, “I'm frightened you're going to die in a car crash.”' 

The Duchess has also apparently had second thoughts about her relationship with her father, Major Ron Ferguson, whom she had called cruel in her reality show Finding Sarah.

She told the magazine: 'I loved my mother and father. They gave me the most idyllic childhood.'