The once-close friendship between Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson came to a painful end in the final months of Diana’s life.
Diana stopped seeing Ferguson around six months before her death, despite the pair having been inseparable for years while they were married into the royal family. Even after their divorces, they remained close, often holidaying together with their children.
Ferguson later reflected on the breakdown in her memoir Finding Sarah, admitting she regretted losing touch with Diana. She described her as sharp-witted and endlessly funny, writing that no one made her laugh the way Diana did. The two had shared many family trips together, but by the final year of Diana’s life, their communication had stopped entirely.
According to Ferguson, she never fully understood what caused the silence, aside from Diana’s tendency to hold firmly to a decision once her mind was made up.
The rift is believed to have deepened after Ferguson released her autobiography in the mid-1990s. Diana had reportedly asked that her children be kept out of the book, a request that was not honoured. When the book was published, Diana felt betrayed and chose to cut ties with her former friend.
Former royal butler Paul Burrell later shared further details, claiming the final break came after Diana received a letter that appeared to be written by one of Ferguson’s children. Diana reportedly believed the letter was an attempt to pull at her emotions and saw it as a step too far.
Burrell said Diana felt the situation crossed a line and ended the relationship for good. The two never spoke again. According to him, Diana made it clear she valued honesty above all else and felt happier moving forward without the friendship.
What had once been one of Diana’s closest bonds faded quietly, leaving behind regret on one side and finality on the other.
