Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson Were Close Friends Before Joining the Royal Family
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson‘s friendship was anything but a fairy tale.
Long before their fallout, Diana and Ferguson were close friends after their mothers, Frances Shand Kydd and Susan Barrantes, introduced them as children.
“We were best friends from when she was 14, and I was 15,” Ferguson confirmed her connection to Diana in a 2021 interview with People.
She also likened their bond to that of sisters in her 1996 autobiography, My Story, writing, “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.”
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson Were Both Married Into the House of Windsor
Diana tied the knot with then-Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981. After the “wedding of the century,” the Princess of Wales introduced Ferguson to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“I said to her, ‘Oh, Andrew’s really good-looking,'” Ferguson recalled telling Diana. “And she said, ‘Duh, Fergs!'”
On July 23, 1986, Ferguson had her own fairy-tale wedding when she exchanged vows with Andrew at Westminster Abbey.
However, the marriages of the “wives of Windsor” both came to an end. Ferguson and Andrew’s marriage officially ended on May 30, 1996, while Diana finalized her divorce from Charles on August 28, 1996.
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson Became Inseparable Royal Best Friends
While navigating their lives as royals, Diana and Ferguson forged a close bond, finding common ground in their shared experiences and struggles.
In his book The Royal Insider, former royal butler Paul Burrell said the duo “would discuss the dour men in grey suits within the Royal Household, nicknamed ‘the enemy within.'”
“Diana, having been in the royal family for five years, was able to offer Sarah some sage advice on the dos and don’ts, whom she could trust, and a rather lengthy list of those with whom she should be cautious,” he added.
On the other hand, Ferguson said the media drove a wedge between her and Diana.
“In the ’80s, it was Diana looking beautiful, and there was fat, frumpy Fergie,” she told People. “We were just there for people to make a lot of money. At the time we both didn’t realize that.”
In the same interview, Ferguson revealed she and Diana faced their own mental health challenges and often confided in each other about their struggles.
“She said, ‘Fergie, remember one thing: When you’re at the top of the pedestal, it’s so easy to fall off. And you’re at the bottom. You just climb up,'” she shared. “We were positioned as saint and sinner. And the most important thing was to remain robust together, and we did, no matter what anyone wrote.”
