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The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, has paid tribute to Lisa Marie Presley following news of her death.
Fergie revealed how surprisingly close they were in an Instagram post where she refers to Lisa as "sissy".
“I say hello to you everyday and I love you my sissy and I will continue to say hello to you everyday. You were my sissy, an amazing mother to Ben, Riley, Harper and Finley and a superbly loving daughter to Priscilla,” the duchess wrote.
“You have been my devoted friend for many years and I am here for your family to support and love them. I am deeply saddened my sissy, you are in my heart.”
Lisa Marie died of cardiac arrest on 12 January. She was 54.
It seems the royal and the only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley had secretly been friends for over a decade, after meeting in the late 2000s and hitting it off immediately.
The 63-year-old plans to fly to the US to attend Lisa’s funeral.
The friends bonded over their ex-husbands' sex scandals, with Lisa Marie – who was married to Michael Jackson from 1994 to 1996 – comforting Fergie when Prince Andrew became embroiled in scandal due to his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Michael had been wrapped up in high-profile child abuse scandals.
“Lisa Marie had been through all the accusations that he was a paedophile but she went to her grave believing Michael was innocent. She was a rock for Sarah when the sex allegations against Prince Andrew were made,” a source close to the duchess told Daily Mail.
“She’s utterly heartbroken. They were as close as sisters. They spoke almost daily on the phone. This was a precious friendship to both of them, which is why they kept it so private. Lisa Marie didn’t trust many people outside her family but loved Sarah,” the source adds.
When they met, Lisa was living in the UK with her then-husband Michael Lockwood, but they kept in touch when she moved back to the US.
“She was very supportive of the duchess when she had tough times, particularly when she was caught up in the ‘Fake Sheikh’ scandal,” another source told Page Six. Fergie was recorded offering access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, for money back in 2010.
“The duchess never forgot that. Lisa Marie went out of her way to be a supportive friend. They really bonded as sisters.”
Fergie was also there for Lisa after her son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide at the age of 27 in 2020.
They were reportedly so close that their children were friends and Lisa Marie’s daughter Riley Keough (33) had plans to work with Fergie on film projects.
Lisa Marie will be buried at Elvis’ mansion, Graceland, next to her son, her father, her paternal grandparents and great-grandmother in the Meditation Garden.
A public memorial will also be held there on Sunday 22 January.
SOURCES: PAGESIX.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, PEOPLE.COM, DEADLINE.COM
