Sarah Ferguson Explains Her Time In The Limelight Much Different From Her Daughters

British Royal family news reveals Sarah Ferguson recently gave an exclusive interview for PEOPLE magazine to promote her upcoming debut book, Heart of a Compass, due August 3. She discussed many things during the interview: her friendship with the late Princess Diana and how Diana would approve of the wives her sons have chosen, her journey to becoming the woman she’s come to accept today and most importantly, how her parenting skills kept her daughters out of the bad side of the spotlight.

The Duchess of York Talks about Her Parenting Advice to Her Daughters Regarding Their Public Appearance

Proud mom Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson raised her daughters to keep away from the pitfalls and the bad publicity she witnessed for much of her time in the spotlight.

“I’m self-deprecating and British. But [one thing] is I’m a really good mom,” Sarah, 61, exclusively told PEOPLE for their latest cover story.

“And I’m a good mom because, in growing up, when the girls used to say, ‘Why can’t we do that?'” she said of Princess Eugenie, now 31, and Princess Beatrice, now 32. “I would say, “Well, I’ve already made those mistakes. The world’s press has written about my mistakes, so you don’t need to make them now. So I’ve gone ahead of you to clear the way so that you can dream and grow and be who you are.”

As the former wife of Prince Andrew, she was a frequent target by media outlets and she admitted that lately, she’s learned to make peace with that side of her past.

Sarah Ferguson Talks About Reconciling With All Sides Of Her Personalities

Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is now accepting every aspect of her life and she’s not placing one above the other.

“Someone asked me, ‘If you were an astronaut and you could take all the pressure off you,” the Duchess recalled, “would you leave behind Fergie and Sarah and the Duchess and your past mistakes and failings?'”

“And I said, ‘What are you talking about? They’re all my friends.’ I made friends with past mistakes. I made friends with Fergie. She didn’t know any better. And then Sarah. That’s why we experiment. How is it that we’re meant to be knowledgeable when we don’t know? My Fergie, my Duchess, my Sarah: They’re all good people.”

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with The Royal Family right now. Come back here often for all The Royal Family spoilers, news, and updates.