It turns out, these two aren’t the first royal sisters-in-law to face endless scrutiny in the tabloids.
Reportedly, the two women had a seriously rocky relationship.
In fact, they allegedly fluctuated back and forth between being best friends to worst enemies over the years.
Naturally, the tabloids loved following the rumors of the feuding Duchesses much as they do today!
But what really went on between Diana and Sarah during their time in the Palace?
Were the tabloids to be believed, or is there actually more to the story?
Here is the truth about the relationship between Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson.
According toExpress, the royal sisters-in-law were actually distantly related.
This made them fourth cousins.
You may remember Georgiana from the 2008 filmThe Duchessstarring Keira Knightley.
It seems it’s a pretty small world when it comes to the British aristocracy!
Not only were Diana and Sarah distant cousins, they were also old friends.
Their mothers had once been school friends, so the two soon-to-be royals had known each other since childhood.
According to royal expert Tom Quinn, the snub didn’t go unnoticed.
As it turns out, Diana actually wanted Sarah to be there.
She’d even wanted to name her as one of her Ladies-in-Waiting.
Apparently, it was during this period that tensions began to form in the women’s friendship.
In fact, she relied on having weekly catch-ups with her confidant.
As author Kate Nicholl said, “They would frequently meet for lunch.
Often once a week” (viaExpress).
If lunch wasn’t possible, Sarah would come to the Palace for tea.
Apparently, Sarah recommended her astrologer, Penny Thornton, to Diana in 1986.
“She was going to bolt and she didn’t,” the astrologer revealed.
“That Christmas I had a card signed by Charles.”
Sarah also wrote to express her thanks (viaExpress).
According toVogue,Thornton went on to work with Diana for six years.
For instance, in the early years, she viewed Diana as a younger sister.
At the time of her marriage, Diana was still very young.
In fact, she was just 19 when Prince Charles proposed (viaTown & Country).
In the book, Sarah recalled one moment when she and Diana had been swarmed by the press.
“I looked over at my friend in befuddlement,” Sarah wrote.
“‘Just keep smiling,’ Diana whispered.”
As Sarah explained, this was advice she would heed for “years to come.”
As she put it, “I always felt safe in mimicking Diana” (viaHarper’s Bazaar).
As the club’s manager explained toExpress, the women were very convincing.
“They were perfectly disguised and certainly had us fooled,” he revealed.
After their night out, the friends stopped Prince Andrew’s car on his way back to the Palace.
Apparently, she’d been influenced by her more outgoing, daring friend.
According to some reports, her outgoing, laid-back personality even led to a little jealousy.
After all, Diana was often called “Shy Di” in the press.
She left me looking like dirt."
No wonder she felt threatened by the new royal arrival.
Eventually, they both found themselves increasingly unhappy in their marriages to their respective princes.
Allegedly, the two women used the name of Hoare’s road as a code word.
“It meant our leap of freedom,” Diana reportedly had said.
Yet again, the two friends found themselves in a unique position that only the other could fully comprehend.
Understandably, they relied on each other for support during this period.
But sadly, they were still plagued by paparazzi and fans throughout the trip.
According toPage Six, Sarah didn’t know what had caused Diana to stop speaking to her.
It’s no wonder she apparently reacted so poorly to her friend’s cruel and super personal revelation.
In fact, according toPage Six, they hadn’t spoken in over a year.
As Sarah confessed toHarper’s Bazaarin 2018, not making up with Diana was one of her biggest regrets.
“Because we were like siblings…we rowed,” she explained.
“I knew she’d come back,” Sarah continued.
I want to talk to her.'"
So, apparently Diana had been just about ready to forgive her old friend.
Sadly, Sarah didn’t receive an invitation to William’s wedding in 2011, either.
However, she did get an invitation to Harry’s wedding in 2018 (viaCheatSheet).
As she toldHarper’s Bazaar, “I really miss Diana.
I loved her so much.”
