Sarah Ferguson has shared a poignant tribute to Princess Diana on what would have been the late Princess of Wales's birthday.
Sarah, Duchess of York, was friends with the late Princess of Wales for the majority of her life. The two women were close long before they married in the royal family, knowing each other since childhood. As they were both propelled to global levels of fame, they remained close; even dressing up as policewomen to gatecrash Prince Andrew’s stag do at Annabel's together. The mother-of-two was also often pictured with Diana during the late 1980s, including on the ski slopes and at polo matches.
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Their relationship wasn't always rosy, however. The animosity between the Duchess of York and Princess Diana was well-trodden tabloid fodder in the 1980s and 1990s, with reports of a final fallout coming after the former accused the latter of giving her a verruca in her 1996 biography, My Story.
Posting on Instagram this week, Fergie wrote, ‘Happy birthday to my dear friend, Diana. You were a pillar of light and love.’
She continued, ‘What a legacy you have left behind. I will forever remember our laughter and the kindred, kind spirit I found in you. I am sure you are watching over us always. Rest in peace my friend.’
Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Chester where we lay our scene …
Speaking about the Princess in an interview with Alan Carr in 2023, she said, ‘I miss her humour… there is no other person who makes me laugh more than her, she just was so funny. There is nobody else, and I’ve known her since I was 14, absolutely loved everything about her. When you think about the Queen, I feel very emotional and want to cry.
'When I think about her, I smile and I laugh because she was so funny, and because she’s with me so she’s not gone, so I don’t miss her… I absolutely love her and she would be so proud of her grandchildren. We’d have a granny-off.’
Diana would have celebrated her 63rd birthday on 1st July 2024. Still deeply missed by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, the loss of Diana is also mourned by the millions around the world who felt as though they knew the ‘People’s Princess’.
