'Their Relationship Was Never Repaired': Why Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson Fell Out

New details are being brought to light regarding the fallout between Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson.

Royal author and historian Andrew Lownie recently revealed fresh claims about what allegedly caused tension between the longtime friends and sisters-in-law, who were also fourth cousins before marrying into the royal family.

According to Lownie, the relationship began to unravel after Ferguson released her 1996 autobiography, My Story, where she made a comment about “catching a verruca [wart] from borrowing some shoes from Lady Diana."

"In fact, the reality was that Diana was very concerned that Sarah Ferguson might well be selling stories about her, and that relationship was never repaired, though Sarah Ferguson pretended it had," Lownie claimed in a new video.

The royal expert also alleged that the two women often leaned on each other while struggling with the pressures of royal life.

"Diana would come to Sarah Ferguson every Sunday, and they would moan about the royal family. They both felt very restricted within the confines of the royal family. But at the same time, there were some concerns Diana had that Fergie perhaps was too boisterous, and she was kind of undermining Diana's own reputation, and she began to distance herself," he explained.

Diana and Ferguson were once famously close, with the late princess even introducing Ferguson to then-Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles.

Lownie further claimed Diana allegedly encouraged Ferguson to move forward with divorcing Andrew first while she carefully observed how the royal family would react.

The author said Diana pulled a “tough trick” by suggesting they would both separate from their husbands around the same time. However, according to Lownie, Diana later stepped back and allowed Ferguson to handle the fallout alone.

He alleged Diana ultimately learned from Ferguson’s experience and used it to guide how she approached her own split from Charles.

Ferguson and Andrew officially divorced in 1992 after 10 years of marriage, though the pair remained close for decades afterward. The former couple continued living together at Royal Lodge even after Andrew faced renewed public scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and lost several royal privileges in 2025.

Meanwhile, Diana and Charles’ marriage famously began with the lavish “wedding of the century” in 1981. The pair separated in 1992 and finalized their divorce in 1996.

Just one year later, Diana tragically died in a Paris car crash at age 36.

Years after her death, Prince William reflected on the heartbreaking loss of his mother and how grief impacted his childhood.

"Sometimes the hardest thing about grief is finding the words for how you actually feel. It's crucial for those first few years, particularly, [that] you have support like this. It's got you in your practice, how to help yourself," he explained. "The mind gets focused on one thing, doesn't it? It's very difficult to do school and normal life."

He continued, "What my mother recognized back then — and what I understand now — is that grief is the most painful experience that any child or parent can endure.”