Fergie's mother killed in road accident

LONDON -- Mrs Susan Barrantes, mother of the Duchess of York, has been killed in a head-on car crash near her ranch estate in Argentina, her family announced yesterday.

The duchess, the former Sarah Ferguson and ex-wife of Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Andrew, learned the news while on holiday in Italy, and was flying back to Britain before leaving for Argentina last night.

"She is devastated," said spokeswoman Kate Waddington.

Mrs Barrantes, 61, was killed instantly on Saturday when the vehicle she was driving collided with a van on a rural road near Tres Lomas, about 550 kilometres south-west of the capital, Buenos Aires, police said.

The crash happened some 50km from her ranch, El Pucara.

Her passenger, nephew by marriage Ralphy Barrantes, 25, survived the collision with minor injuries. The driver of the other car suffered a broken ankle, said police Commissioner Hector Dimas Molineuvo.

Mrs Barrantes's body was taken to a hospital morgue in Tres Lomas.

Mrs Barrantes had lived in Argentina since marrying an Argentinian professional polo player, Hector Barrantes, in 1975.

She left her first husband, Major Ronald Ferguson, and two teenage daughters, Sarah and Jane, for Mr Barrantes, who died of cancer in 1990.

The 38-year-old duchess, popularly known as Fergie, was in Italy with her younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, 8, when she heard the news. She has spent time in Italy this summer with her latest boyfriend, Count Gaddo della Gherardesca.

Princess Eugenie would go to Balmoral, the Queen's Scottish estate, where Prince Andrew is on holiday with their other child, Princess Beatrice, 10, and the duchess would go alone to Argentina, her spokeswoman said.