The Duchess of Northumberland appears to have made a subtle dig at Sarah Ferguson and Meghan Markle in a new interview.
Jane Percy revealed that she writes her books under the pen name of Jane Northumberland to avoid using her royal title.
She claimed: “Unlike other duchesses who put their names everywhere, I’m not using my title. I’d say it could be detrimental as one or two duchesses haven’t really helped the cause lately.
“People think it must have been easy for me, but nothing comes from nothing. It’s all been down to hard work,” she told the Telegraph.
The Duchess of Northumberland appears to have taken a swipe at Meghan Markle in a recent interview
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Her comments appear to be referring to Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, who stepped down from her royal duties in 2020.
After relocating to the US, Meghan has made a series of digs towards other royals during her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, and also told Bloomberg’s Emily Chang she “couldn’t be as vocal” when she first married Prince Harry.
Sarah Ferguson, meanwhile, lost her Duchess of York title last month when her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, agreed to give up his title.
She had been a well-renowned children’s author before her and her ex-husband’s links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein emerged.
Jane has her own connection to the royals, having hosted King Charles for visits at Alnwick Castle, with her daughter Melissa is friends with Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy.
She has also had her say on Prince Harry and Prince William’s fallout, previously having her say on the dispute in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2023.
The duchess has given her verdict on the feud between Prince William and Prince Harry
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She said: “To have two boys who aren’t communicating, one on the other side of the world, is the saddest thing.
“Hopefully, they are communicating. I’m sure there’s a lot we don’t know about.”
The duchess moved to Alnwick Castle in 1995, after marrying her husband, the Duke of Northumberland, Ralph Percy.
The couple have four children together, Katie, George, Melissa, and Max, with seven grandchildren.
Jane also shares a keen interest with the King, as they both share a love of gardening.
The former professional ice skater takes on the huge task of managing the gardens at Alnwick Castle.
The Duchess of Northumberland has shown King Charles around Alnwick Castle multiple times
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In one corner, there is a fantasy fairy area for children called Lilidorei, which opened in 2023, and has had a book released to accompany it.
The gardens also contains the world’s largest treehouse, and drew around 380,000 visitors last year, despite being unfinished.
Under her pen name, she has written her first novel, titled Amanita, with plans for another, alongside a colouring book.