Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson’s friendship reportedly ended over 'My Story' memoir claim

Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson’s once-close friendship reportedly collapsed after the former Duchess of York published her 1996 autobiography My Story, according to royal author Andrew Lownie.

In a new interview discussed by People, Lownie claimed Diana became deeply upset over comments Ferguson included in the memoir, particularly an anecdote about borrowing Diana’s shoes and allegedly developing verrucas afterwards. The biographer suggested the incident contributed to a permanent rift between the pair.

Diana and Ferguson had been close long before marrying into the royal family. The pair, who were also distant cousins, often leaned on one another while navigating royal life and intense media scrutiny during the 1980s and 1990s.

However, Lownie claimed tensions grew after Ferguson’s memoir was released, with Diana reportedly suspecting that private details about her life had been shared too freely. He also alleged Diana worried Ferguson’s public behaviour and controversies could damage her own image.

The breakdown in their friendship has long been the subject of royal speculation. Previous reports and biographies have suggested the pair were no longer speaking by the time Diana died in Paris in 1997.

Despite the fallout, Ferguson later spoke warmly about Diana in interviews and in her later memoir Finding Sarah, admitting she never fully understood why their relationship deteriorated. She previously described Diana as her “best friend” and said she thought about her “most days”.

Lownie’s comments come amid renewed interest in royal biographies and memoirs following the release of several books examining the House of Windsor and its internal relationships.