They knew eachother for a while before becoming royals
Sarah Ferguson has spoken numerous times over the years about her friendship with Princess Diana, revealing that they bonded during their time together in the royal family.
Here’s an inside look at the late Princess of Wales and the Duchess of York’s rollercoaster friendship and their sad fallout…
Was Sarah Ferguson friends with Princess Diana?
Contrary to popular belief, Sarah and Diana’s friendship actually started before they were both royals.
The duo were actually fourth cousins, being descended from William Cavendish, Fourth Duke of Devonshire. Their mothers had been in school together. They reconnected in 1980, when Sarah was 21 and Diana was 19.
Diana and Sarah shared a lot of the same friends and interests, and were soon lunching together on a regular basis.
When Diana got engaged to the then Prince Charles, she invited Sarah to the wedding. She even gave her a piece of fabric for her to turn into a dress.
Sarah attended the historic ceremony alone, but later admitted she felt snubbed for not being invited to the post-wedding party too.
Sarah ‘strove to protect’ Diana
After both marrying into the royal family, Diana and Sarah continued to lunch together. Sarah soon turned into one of Diana’s closest confidantes as the young princess struggled to adjust to royal life.
Reports claimed that Diana would often call Sarah, who would visit her at Buckingham Palace to cheer her up. Sarah even recommended her astrologer to Diana.
“She was two years younger than I, and I strove to support and protect her as I would a younger sister—as I still do today, as a best friend,” Sarah reportedly wrote in her 1996 autobiography.
Princess Diana set Sarah up with Prince Andrew
The late Queen Elizabeth II would often host “dine and sleep” events at Windsor Castle during Ascot week.
In 1985, Sarah attended one of these events after Diana reportedly recommended her for an invitation to the queen.
At dinner, Sarah found herself sitting next to Prince Andrew. Though they’d met socially over the years, this was when romance truly blossomed for them. They began dating shortly afterwards. Diana reportedly acted as a matchmaker even further, allowing them to stay at Highgrove before their relationship was made public.
Sarah also holidayed with Charles and Diana during a visit to the Swiss ski resort of Klosters while Andrew was away at sea.
As Sarah and Andrew’s relationship grew more serious, and as Sarah began doing more with the royal family, she turned to Diana for support.
In her autobiography, she wrote about a time she was nervous in front of assembled photographers.
“I looked over at my friend in befuddlement. ‘Just keep smiling’ Diana whispered. And I did, as I would for long years to come. I always felt safe in mimicking Diana,” she wrote.
Fun times and a fierce rivalry
Sarah and Diana got up to several hijinks during their time together as royals. Ahead of her wedding to Andrew in 1986, Sarah had a bachelorette party.
Fergie, Diana and a group of pals dressed as policewomen, which got them in some trouble with the actual police. After that was all sorted, they went to a social club before heading back to the palace and locking Prince Andrew out.
However, there was a rivalry there too. After marrying Andrew, Sarah got her pilot’s licence, becoming the first woman in the royal family to achieve this. She also excelled at sports the royals loved, such as including skiing and horseback riding.
Diana reportedly confessed how this had made her feel in the biography – Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton. She said that Fergie “wooed everybody in this family and did it so well” and “left me looking like dirt”.
Diana added that Charles had allegedly previously told her: “I wish you would be like Fergie—all jolly.”
Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana’s friendship – divorces and falling out
As their marriages broke down, Diana and Fergie leaned on each other for support.
Writing in her autobiography, Sarah said: “It was the year [1991] we first put words to the unspeakable idea that had been nudging us in the ribs for some time: that one or both of us might leave the royal family. We burned the phone wires into the night, trading secrets and jokes that no-one else would understand.
By 1992, both had separated from their husbands but stayed close. In 1996, they holidayed together in the South of France with Diana’s sons William and Harry and Sarah’s daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.
However, by late 1996, Sarah revealed that Diana was no longer speaking to her. It’s believed that this was due to Diana being unhappy with how Sarah had written about her in her autobiography.
She reportedly wasn’t happy that Sarah had written that Diana had given her “plantar warts” after gifting her some shoes.
After Diana’s death
Following Diana’s death, Sarah revealed that they hadn’t spoken in a year.
“Because we were like siblings… we rowed. And the saddest thing, at the end, we hadn’t spoken for a year,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
“I tried, wrote letters, thinking whatever happened didn’t matter, let’s sort it out. And I knew she’d come back. In fact, the day before she died she rang a friend of mine and said, ‘Where’s that Red? I want to talk to her,’” she then added.
Sarah also said: “I really miss Diana. I loved her so much.”
Did Sarah Ferguson go to Diana’s funeral?
Yes, Sarah went to the funeral. She was seen comforting Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice at Westminster Abbey, alongside Andrew.
