Princess Diana would praise Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's 'happiness', says Sarah Ferguson

Sarah Ferguson is praising Prince Harry’s "happiness" with Meghan Markle.

During a recent appearance on the Italian talk show "Porta a Porta," the Duchess of York was asked about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who moved to California last year after stepping back as senior royals of the British royal family.

"The most important thing – and I know Diana, if she were here, would say that – is they are happy," said the 62-year-old. "And she makes him happy. And I love to see that little boy that cried to have happiness now."

Ferguson was referring to the moment when Harry had to walk behind his mother’s coffin during her funeral procession. Princess Diana passed away in 1997 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash. She was 36.

Ferguson and Diana first met as teenagers. It was the Princess of Wales who introduced Ferguson to Prince Charles’ younger brother, Prince Andrew. Ferguson and Andrew tied the knot in 1986 but called it quits in 1996. They share two daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.

Back in July, Ferguson told People magazine that Diana "would be very proud of her sons and her wives."

"And she would be just like me, obsessed with her grandchildren," Ferguson noted. "Because that’s what she loved."

"If she were sitting with me right now, I know she would say, 'I am so proud of both of my boys and the wonderful wives they have chosen,’" shared the duchess. "Because each has got her own voice."

Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Harry in May 2018 at Windsor Castle. The couple welcomed a son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in 2019.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes towards the former "Suits" star. The family now resides in the coastal city of Montecito, California.

In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Oprah Winfrey in March, in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth. The duchess, 40, talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.

Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were "concerning" and would be addressed privately.

On June 4, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

The name pays tribute to both Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname is Lilibet, and his late mother.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.