Sarah Ferguson and Queen Camilla Have Grown Closer Since Princess Diana's Death

Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson first met when they were in their early teens, but the pair reconnected and quickly became inseparable in the 1980s as a then-19-year-old Diana and 21-year-old Sarah while navigating the challenges of integrating themselves into the royal fold. The “best friends” were soon stepping out for weekly lunches, and while their relationship famously had its share of rivalry and conflict, Di even played matchmaker with Sarah and Prince Andrew during one of her star-studded “dine and sleep" events. Despite her relationship with the late princess, whom she later referred to as a “younger sister," Ferguson recently opened up about how she’s also been able to become “so close” with Queen Camilla over the years.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Sarah Ferguson touched on her close dynamic with both her sister-in-law Princess Diana and Camilla Parker Bowles, despite the Queen having a years-long affair with Diana’s husband, King Charles.

"Queen Camilla was close friends with Mum, which is why we’re so close now," she said, referring to her late mother, Susan Barrantes. Barrantes was also best friends with Diana’s mom Frances Ruth Shand Kydd, and they went to school together. The Duchess of York added, "Diana was my best friend from the age of 14. That’s why it’s so big that The Queen and I get on now."

Ferguson then applauded Queen Camilla stepping up for her latest role, saying, "It’s rather nice, and she reminds me of Mum. I admire the extraordinary support she’s giving this country." The royal shared, “I want to do as much for The Queen as possible. I wish they’d ask me to do more."

Ferguson previously opened up about her strained relationship with Princess Diana in her 2011 memoir, Finding Sarah, revealing that the pair were not on speaking terms when the late royal died in a 1997 car crash.

“It is true that our friendship was periodically strained. Sadly, at the end [of Diana’s life], we hadn’t spoken for a year, although I never knew the reason, except that once Diana got something in her head it stuck there for a while,” she wrote at the time.

Ferguson and Princess Diana were confidantes as they entered the royal family around the same time, but they also leaned on each other as their respective marriages fell apart.

“[1991] was the year 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,” Ferguson wrote in her 1996 memoir My Story. “We burned the phone wires into the night, trading secrets and jokes that no one else would understand.”

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