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Why Do Boomers Love Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson? It May Come Down to These 3 Reasons

It’s no secret that countless people are obsessed—we repeat, obsessed—with the British royal family. We’re not surprised by the appeal of Prince William and Prince Harry, but it wasn’t until we turned to social media that we realized how many Baby Boomers love Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson.

No, really. The PureWow Facebook page is filled with positive comments about Ferguson, no matter what she does. It didn’t take long for us to determine that most of the messages were written by Boomers. (Go figure.)

It’s not that we have anything against the 61-year-old royal. Ferguson is an underdog on the popularity scale when compared to other members of the royal family, like Kate Middleton. We love that she’s branching out with her YouTube series, but considering her relatively demur vibe and lack of scandal, we never really considered her to be…crush-worthy.

Not so, say Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie, co-hosts of the Royally Obsessed podcast, who posited these reasons for Ferguson’s popularity with women age 56 to 76.

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1. She's Very Similar To Princess Diana

Boomers have always been entranced by Princess Diana. Ever since her tragic death in 1997, it seems this obsession has transferred to Ferguson…but why? The most obvious reason is that many people thought they, too, could be like Princess Diana, a commoner who married into the royal family. She experienced many “firsts” alongside her fans, who appreciated her realistic approach to raising children as a single mom. For this reason, people had no choice but to root for her.

Although Ferguson wasn’t nearly as popular at the time, she has filled the void of Princess Diana’s absence due to her likeness. Not only did they have similar upbringings, but they also infiltrated the queen’s inner circle against all odds.

“Princess Diana found a confidante within palace walls in Sarah Ferguson,” Fiorito told PureWow. “According to a 1986 cover story by People, the two women shared a lot of interests, including a love for dancing and Phil Collins. And the closeness continued through their mutual separations in 1992; the Duchess of York wrote that they leaned on each other most during that time.”

Bottom line: Ferguson represents everything Boomers loved about Princess Diana: She’s honest. She’s genuine. And she’s proud of her flaws. “There’s also something so defiant (in the most wonderful way) about Fergie: She’s a divorcee who wanted to remain close to her two daughters, forge her own path, and yet doesn’t really ‘have it all together,’ you might say,” Fiorito added.

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2. She's Loyal

After her divorce was finalized in 1996, Ferguson maintained a strong relationship with the British royals. Not only does she still reside with her ex-husband, but she also never went after his (or his family’s) money.

Bowie explained that Ferguson’s genuine personality has likely attributed to her growing fanbase. “I think what’s unique about Sarah is that loyalty seems to be a driving force behind so many of her actions. She really does respect the job and, while she’s had plenty of missteps, she’s remained dutiful and true to her mother-in-law and, most shockingly, her ex-husband Prince Andrew, even with all the revelations about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”

“There’s an authenticity there,” Bowie added. “I think people really gravitate toward that.”

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3. She's A Relatable Grandma Who's Aging Publicly

Ferguson recently became a grandmother to Princess Eugenie’s son, August, and she’s currently awaiting the arrival of Princess Beatrice’s first child, expected this fall.

“As a grandmother, Fergie seems over-the-moon obsessed with August, as well as her future grandchild,” Fiorito explained. “That’s something every grandparent can relate to, especially when it comes to proudly gushing all about their growing family on Instagram.

“She’s also not covering up her aging with a full face of makeup, but rather embracing it,” Fiorito added. “She continues to be this rebellious aunt we all know and love (and can relate to), in a way: a bit mischievous, a royal outsider, continuously dancing to her own tune.”

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greta

Senior Editor

Greta Heggeness is a California-based editor at PureWow and has been writing about entertainment since 2015. She covers everything from awards shows to exclusive celebrity...