Diana, Princess of Wales, and her sister-in-law Sarah Ferguson had a complex relationship, which over the course of their royal lives saw them as friends, foes, and everything in between. The two women knew each other long before they entered the royal fold; Diana and Fergie, as she is commonly known, were fourth cousins and their mothers had attended the same school. Their bond deepened when they reconnected in the Eighties, the decade which saw both of them marry sons of the late Queen Elizabeth II. However, while their royal status brought them closer together, a rivalry soon developed, and the pair often compared themselves and their positions in the Firm.
Now, royal commentators have pointed out a “savage” move from the late Princess of Wales which may have exacerbated the tensions within her crumbling friendship with the Duchess.
Kinsey Schofield and Cristo Foufas, hosts of the MAJESTEA podcast, discussed the turbulent relationship between the sisters-in-law during their most recent episode.
Ms Schofield, who is also the founder of LA-based royal site ToDiForDaily.com, identified the “disintegration of Diana and Fergie’s relationship” as a major royal scandal.
She cited Andrew Morton, who “revealed after Diana’s death that it was Diana who had tipped off the press about Fergie and Andrew’s split”.
At the time, both Diana and Sarah’s romantic relationships were reaching the end of the road. And as Mr Foufas recalled, the two women had planned to announce their separations at the same time.
READ MORE: Diana and Fergie ‘supported each other’ despite pitting in the media
Mr Foufas added: “I think that delay was when Diana and Fergie fell out. They didn’t speak for a long time.”
Ms Schofield agreed, pointing to a reason the Princess of Wales started to “distance herself from Fergie”.
She said: “She [Diana] realised the media coverage of their behaviour was starting to sour and she was still trying to make a positive impact when it came to the family. So she realised Sarah might have been going down a path she didn’t want to and started to distance herself.
“And it’s so interesting that they had that pact which Diana backed out of and then Diana actually leaked that information. It’s savage. She was much savvier when it came to the press.”
Mr Foufas added: “Fergie was never as smart as Diana, I think, with the press. Diana didn’t want to be brought down by Fergie…Diana could be unpleasant and vicious when she wanted to be.”
As previously mentioned, their conflict was partly driven by the competitive aspect of their roles within the Royal Family.
Shortly after her wedding to Andrew, Sarah had impressed the late Queen by getting her pilot’s licence and won over Prince Philip by trying her hand at open carriage driving, one of the late consort’s favourite past-times.
While the Duchess of York excelled at the sort of activities the Windsors love, Diana did not hold the same skills. Sports such as skiing and horseback riding were not the Princess of Wale’s forté.
Diana revealed to her biographer Mr Morton that Fergie “wooed everybody in this family and did it so well. She left me looking like dirt.”
The Princess confessed Charles had once told her: “I wish you would be like Fergie—all jolly.”
When Diana died in August 1997, the pair had not reconciled. Fergie attended the Princess’s funeral and later told Harper’s Bazaar: “Because we were like siblings… we rowed. And the saddest thing, at the end, we hadn’t spoken for a year.”
“I tried, wrote letters, thinking whatever happened didn’t matter, let’s sort it out,” she continued. “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.’”
