The Duchess of York has paid a renewed tribute to a family friend who took his own life – as the royal supports a mental health drive.
Sarah Ferguson, 65, remembered James Wentworth-Stanley, the son of Clare Milford Haven, one of Sarah’s “oldest and dearest” friends. The Spanish and business studies student ended his life after he was classed as a low priority at A&E, where he waited a few hours before leaving.
Fergie opened about on the tragedy this week in an interview to mark a mental health appeal, as James’ charity continues to offer free treatment to men experiencing a suicidal crisis. She said: “He was so special to me and my girls and he and I spent some very happy times together, in Argentina in particular, where we shared a love of polo.
“He had such a twinkle and an incredible sense of humour. Ten days after a minor operation, James took his own life. He had tried to get help for his anxiety and suicidal thoughts but didn’t find the urgent help he so desperately needed.”
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Sarah Ferguson said she ‘adored’ tragic James Wentworth-Stanley
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James, 21, reported feeling suicidal following a minor operation but was classed as a low priority at A&E. He took his own life days later, on December 15, 2006, a tragedy which hit headlines at the time.
In The Times interview today, Sarah is quoted as saying: “When James died, Clare was determined to set up the charity in his memory and save other families from going through what hers had to. She is an incredibly inspiring woman.”
Sarah is godmother to James’ younger brother Harry, while Clare is godmother to Sarah’s eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice. James, a student at Newcastle University, had known Beatrice and Princess Eugenie since they were young children.
Clare Milford Haven, pictured with her son, is one of Fergie’s ‘oldest and dearest’ friends
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Clare Milford Haven)
The Duchess of York paused to give a few moments of introspection in a lengthy interview
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The tragedy rocked Sarah and her family but it spurred the Duchess of York on to support mental health campaigns, including one The Times is running. The publication has supported James’ Place, the young man’s legacy, a charity which runs three suicide-prevention centres.
In 2023, the suicide rate in England and Wales was at its highest since 1999. Men accounted for 75 per cent of these deaths. The number of instances in young adults was significantly higher than most other demographics.
And Sarah worries for Beatrice, 36, and Eugenie, 34. The mum said: “You worry about them all the time. I still do now, when they’re adults. I think young people today have it harder than ever. Social media is a cesspit and it’s very frightening what young people are exposed to.”
But the busy duchess, who still lives with Prince Andrew despite their divorce in 1996, displayed her trademark effervescent when describing being diagnosed with two cancers in around seven months last year. She said, in The Times piece, her “mind went to some dark places, reflecting on my own mortality” during her cancer journeys.
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