Sarah, Duchess of York, is about to turn 60!! Yes, really! It seems incredible, I know! She certainly looks as beautiful and stunning as ever - a great figure, and with the same wonderful smile and sparkling eyes as ever, her passion, penergy and lust for life undiminished!
With the Duchess reaching such an important milestone, it's inevitable that I too am looking back on my own life, in which she has been a constant presence - an idol, a source of inspiration, and a moral and spiritual guide! I think back to that summer day in 1986, as a seven-year-old girl watched transfixed at the beautiful wedding of a Princess - not a demure, blonde princess like the ones in the books, but a redhead with bright eyes and a fierce, self-confident smile, revelling in the love of her handsome prince, kissing him passionately as the crowd cheered! That was the beginning!
As my bedroom walls filled up with newspaper clippings, I tried to imagine her life. She seemed friendly and happy. I never guessed what I later learned - about the unhappiness she was suffering behind the scenes, her husband away on duty while she tried to adjust alone to her new reality!
I remember my happiness at Princess Beatrice's birth (the beautiful symmetry of 8/8/88 didn't escape me!), and my eagerness through two whole weeks to learn her name! It was a name I hadn' heard of - Beatrice - it sounded so lovely, like a flower! And then Eugenie two years later! I was 11, bursting with joy at the thought of another Baby York, with another wonderful storybook name!
It's strange to think of that now, and see them again as the adults they have become! Time passes! As a teenager, I would look at these cute little girls, dressed identically, and imagine them like little sisters (I mean like MY sisters) - in my daydreams I'd look after them, read them stories and play games with them, with the Duchess joining in, her eyes lit up with innocent joy!
Now, when I think of Beatrice and Eugenie, I look up to them! I admire them, just as I do their mother! They too have blossomed into leaders and role models, and beautiful women. Time moves on, but the example of the York family is always there for me!
And when I think of the Duchess approaching 60, I think of everything she's been through, and what a true survivor she is. When she was humiliated by those photos in 1992, I couldn't stop crying! I was 13, and I knew what bullying felt like. It destroyed me that people were laughing so cruelly at my sweet Sarah. Her redemption later that decade, her first book, her success in the US - all that meant a lot to me. It felt like a vindication!
I also felt quite self-conscious that my hero wasn't a singer or an actor but an (ex-)Royal. I was reluctant to tell new friends, especially at uni. But as my own sense of self-confidence increased (partly by her example!) I learned to trust people with my unusual fandom. In fact, I was sometimes surprised when people said "Oh yeah, she's great!" Maybe the tabloids didn't have such an impact after all!
I mentioned self-confidence there - definitely one of the most important thin learned from the Duchess! I used to be painfully shy! But seeing Sarah at Royal events, or at Weightwatchers, book signings or whatever, where she was meeting hundreds of strangers, being so friendly and bubbly - especially after reading her books and knowing how she struggled with self-doubt, even self-hatred - wow, she was incredible! So I thought, "If she can do this, so can I! I can meet strangers and chat to people - just be like Sarah!"
And she was always herself - she didn't try to compromise the person she was. To an insecure person, that's a powerful example to follow - especially when you know your strong hero is still actually also fighting her own insecurities! She was a source of inspiration because she too had been bullied, she'd felt low, she'd felt insecure, but she still managed to project that confidence with people and that sense of being herself.
When I say that Sarah is my "moral and spiritual guide", that might seem a bit over the top to some people, but that's how I feel. To call her a moral guide doesn't mean she's perfect or saintly or anything. She's a human being and she's made plenty of mistakes. But she's admitted that and she's learned from those mistakes. It's how you react to adversity that really shows character.
Above all, the ethical values she has are very clear. We've seen those values over the last year, as she's stood up for kindness and respect on social media. We see her values in her charity work and her books. And above we see the values she has passed onto her daughters, the way she and Andrew have raised them. Beatrice and Eugenie are aware of their obligations and responsibilities as Princesses, and treat others with respect. They work hard, set an example and do such a huge amount to help others.
On a spiritual and psychological level, Sarah has taught me about the power of our thoughts, that often we really can CHOOSE to be happy. She's taught me about the importance of meditation, embracing nature, living in the present, positive self-affirmation and so many powerful and useful ideas. The key book here is the incredible "Finding Sarah". Thanks to her advice and example, I'm calmer, happier and more confident.
I wonder what Sarah will think as she looks back on her own life... I guess she'll see it, to use one of her favourite expressions, as "quite extraordinary". She married into Royalty at 28, so that means more than half her life has been spent on the public stage. The simple, horse-loving country girl from Hampshire is a long way back, but she's still there - our earliest experiences help to define us, after all.
But that public stage has given her the opportunity to do so much, to touch so many lives. She became an icon and a role model, and brought up two Princesses who have in their turn become leaders and role models. Despite the divorce and the public mistakes, the positives far outweigh the negatives, and she has a family unit that is so close and so supportive. She won't regret anything. In the past she gave in to regret, but that's not the Sarah of 2019!
For me, she was always a special person, but I think she's also grown and blossomed through her life, and even approaching 60, she's STILL blossoming and growing! And I'm sure when she looks at her daughters, she sees them blossoming and growing too. I'm writing this just over a week after the wonderful news of Princess Beatrice's engagement to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. And then just three days before Sarah's birthday, there's another huge day for the Yorks - Princess Eugenie and Jack's first wedding anniversary!
So there's a bright future ahead - another wedding at which we'll see Sarah once again as Mother of the Bride, with all the joy and enthusiasm that captured our hearts last year! And surely, sooner or later, there could be grandchildren on the horizon! Imagine Sarah with her grandkids - the ultimate fun, young, cool grandma!
So - my final thoughts on Sarah arriving at 60? I'm really excited about the future for her and for her family. I'm also blown away by how YOUNG she is in every meaningful way! And I'm really looking forward to this day as an amazing opportunity to show her my gratitude and love! I hope she looks back with pride on her achievements, and forward with hope and optimism for the future!
