Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, arrived in Australia in early November as part of a promotional tour for her new romance novel, A Woman of Intrigue.
After arriving in Western Australia, the red-haired royal attended a one-off literary event hosted by her publisher, Serenity Press and Dymocks, at Joondalup Resort in Perth.
More than 700 fans purchased tickets for the ‘In Conversation’ event, which was described as “unforgettable” by organisers.
The Duchess herself took to her Instagram to thank all of those who came along in support: “What a fantastic way to kick off my time in Australia. To receive such a warm welcome and see so many of you in attendance to listen to me sharing my stories was truly humbling.”
Duchess Sarah then travelled to Sydney, where she appeared at two book signing events.
The first took place on November 6 at the Seed Heritage store at Bondi Junction where she promoted her children’s book Flora & Fern: Wonder in the Woods.
50 lucky customers had their books signed and met the royal, with all proceeds going towards the Children’s Medical Research Institute.
The following day she made her second and final official appearance at Dymocks on George Street in the Sydney CBD for another book signing from 3:30pm until 5:30pm. Copies of her books were available to purchase on the day.
She also found time to attend an event at the Children’s Medical Research Institute at Westmead in Sydney.
Her arrival down under came shortly after Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla departed Australia as part of a royal-tour where they visited Sydney and Canberra.
When that tour was announced, the Duchess postponed her originally planned appearance as a “special guest” at The Festival of Fiction writer’s festival on October 19 so as to not clash with her royal in-laws.
“With regret, Sarah, Duchess of York has decided to withdraw from the Festival of Fiction, so as not to distract or detract in any way from the tour of Australia by his majesty the King, which has recently been announced,” said a statement released on behalf of the royal in mid-July.
The mother-of-two has signed a mammoth 22-book deal with the Perth-based publishers of her latest novel A Woman of Intrigue, so it is likely she will return to Australia frequently in the not-to-distant future.
Set in the Victorian era, The Sunday Times bestseller follows a captivating heroine (Lady Mary) as she solves crimes and battles against society, her family, and her heart.
The trip marks the second time that the Duchess has travelled down under in 2024 after landing on our shores for the Globel Citizen NOW summit in Melbourne in March – which she co-chaired.
Prior to her arrival, it was unclear what other activities Sarah had planned for her time down under, but given her older sister Jane resides on the Central Coast of New South Wales, it was thought she would spend some time north of Sydney.
Jane is currently dating Ramin Marzbani and lives a laid-back life that is worlds away from that which was afforded to her as the daughter of the royal family’s former polo manager. Sarah reportedly met Ramin for the first time at the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in 2018.
Speaking with New Idea in 2021, Jane revealed that Sarah and Ramin “got on like a house on fire” at the family occasion.
The couple first met in 2010 at an airport business lounge.
