Duchess of York a senior royal during marriage to Prince Andrew 1986-1996; remains close to royal family
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is sharing several tricks she’s used over the years in her royal duties to avoid offending people during parties and other events.
"Politely," Ferguson laughed when her "Tea Talks" podcast co-host entrepreneur Sarah Thomson asked the duchess on Wednesday what the proper etiquette is for trying to get out of a conversation with someone you’re tired of talking to at a party.
"Well, it depends which country you’re in, of course. There’s all different cultures you must always be aware of," the 63-year-old explained, adding that at a party in England "you’d get to a point, and you’d say, ‘Do you know, one second, could you hold that thought? Because I’ve just got to go see Fred over there because I’ve got to give him a message,' and [by that time] the person you were talking to has gone on to the next subject, they’ve forgotten that you were coming to tell something about Fred."
She then explained how a duchess would avoid answering a "really tricky question that you don’t want to answer."
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, revealed her royal etiquette secrets this week. (Gareth Fuller / WPA Pool / Getty Images / File)
She said she would say to the questioner, "'Oh, that’s so interesting, I’ll tell you what, I’m going to throw that to … Matilda. Matilda, what do you think about that question?’ And you’ve thrown the ball again."
The duchess’ "last really good one" she said was told to her by an Italian man.
"He said, ‘If you’re really busy, and you have three parties a night, and you don’t know how you’re going to manage, what you do is you walk through the door, you go in very loudly and walk all the way around the room."
She continued, "And you’re so loud that most people are going, ‘Oh, my goodness, it’s so loud,’ dadadada, and you leave after five minutes."
Ferguson explained that the host might say, "‘Oh, but I didn’t see Sarah tonight.’ But the people who were in the room will tell them, "'Oh we did. ‘We saw Sarah.’ So, the guests think you’ve been there all night because they’re not counting the minutes you’re there, you see. You just do that three times over."
Sarah Ferguson, in white, stands beside Princess Diana. (Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images / File)
The duchess added that being polite is "entrenched" in her because her mother and father brought her up with the attitude that "manners cost nothing."
"I always tell my girls, ‘When you’re out on the public stage, smile, and if you don’t want to be polite, don’t go out because no one wants to see a grumpy princess," she said of her daughters Princesses Beatrice, 34, and Eugenie, 33, with ex-husband Prince Andrew.
The duchess said she taught her daughters to always smile and be polite when at a public event: "No one wants to see a grumpy princess." (Max Mumby / Indigo/Getty Images / File)
"So, I think the most important thing is you’ve got to get your game on," she added.
She said a man involved with Formula 1 racing who was always "so charming" with the sponsors told her years ago he is able to stay so friendly "because I believe every single person in the world has something beautiful inside of them, and you’ve just got to really take the time to look at it and find it and get them to tell you it or show you it."
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The duchess, speaking of guests on her podcast, said she agrees that every person "has that creative ability inside of them, and it’s a really exciting time for me because I get to find that. It’s like finding the treasure inside a human. I kind of love that."
The duchess' royal life began when she married Prince Andrew in 1986. They divorced in 1996. (John Shelley Collection / Avalon/Getty Images / File)
Ferguson married Andrew in 1986, and despite their divorce in 1996, she remains close to the royal family, having attended King Charles III's coronation and adopted Queen Elizabeth II's corgis after her death last September.
The duchess also recently announced she was diagnosed with cancer.
"Sarah, Duchess of York was recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening," Ferguson's representatives confirmed with Fox News Digital in June. "She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully." Ferguson later revealed she underwent a single mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery.
"The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family," the rep added.
