Sarah, Duchess of York, has spoken of her hopes of a harmonious transition to the next administration, just hours after the election of Donald Trump as US president for the second time.
Trump needed 270 Electoral College votes and as of Thursday morning had collected 292 votes after flipping Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan and holding onto North Carolina.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sarah, Duchess of York, joins Sunrise.
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He led Harris by more than five million votes in the popular count. The Republicans also won the US Senate and are likely to win control of the House of Representatives in the coming days.
Sarah, who is commonly referred to as Fergie, and became part of the British royal family when she married Prince Andrew from whom she is now divorced, told Sunrise “the American people have spoken”.
“This was a very consequential election and it’s in all our interests that we work with the new administration so that America is a strong force for good,” she said.
Sarah also spoke about her new children’s book Flora and Fern: Wonder in the Woods, which follows the characters as they get festive then learn the true meaning of friendship.
“I really have to take my hat off to the First Nations people, the Aboriginal people and culture because it was them that gave me the idea to write about rabbits, flora and — I wanted to call her fauna,” she said.
“Everything is very spiritual. It’s always about what’s the message … they go off on their journey through the woods to try and find all the ingredients for their party … they make friends with the hedgehog which is exactly what we should all do more of (making friends).”
Sarah has a strong connection to Australia through her sister Jane, who lives in Sydney, and with whom she shares a close relationship.
The duchess was also quizzed about her personal life, and said she did not believe anyone should be “ignorant” and that we should all “learn from our mistakes”.
“You have to learn to make mistakes so you’re not ignorant — so forgive yourself if you do make mistakes,” Sarah said.
“I’m still sitting here in authentic truth with what I really feel about how life should be, which is (about) goodness, kindness, and really leading by example on that.
“I’ve learnt to sit here now, at 65, to be so scarred under this shirt (following breast cancer surgery), don’t worry, I’m not taking my shirt off to show you all the scars, but it does take to be really scarred for you to wake up and learn to love yourself.
“And be yourself … what the Queen, the last thing she said to me was, ‘Sarah, just be yourself’. So, walking in here today, I’m just myself with you,” Sarah added.