Sarah Ferguson has paid a sweet tribute to her ‘dearest friend’ Princess Diana as the Royal Family marked 26 years since her death.
The Duchess of York, 63, shared a photograph of herself and Diana watching the races in Epsom in June 1987, writing: ‘We miss you each day dearest friend.’
Princess Diana died in hospital after a crash in a Paris road tunnel on August 31, 1997.
Her death, which came a year after her divorce from King Charles III was finalised, rocked the Royal Family, and left Princes William and Harry without a mother.
They have both since paid tribute in naming their daughters, both of whom carry the late princess’s moniker; William named his daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, and Harry named his Lilibet Diana.
Sarah Ferguson has paid a sweet tribute to her ‘dearest friend’ Princess Diana as the Royal Family marked 26 years since her death
It is no real surprise that Fergie was quick to pay tribute to Diana on the anniversary of her death, as the pair were friends long before they both entered the Royal Family.
Fergie and Diana met as teenagers, and it is widely reported that Diana played a part in setting the Duchess up with her now former husband, Prince Andrew.
After Fergie and Andrew were seated together at Windsor Castle, a romance blossomed, and Diana invited the couple to stay at Highgrove – the home she shared with Charles.
It was soon after that the relationship was made public.
Though friends, Fergie and Diana faced constant comparison, with the Duchess revealing this week that she struggled with ‘years’ of self-hatred as a result.
Sarah said her recent mastectomy has helped her work through this.
The Duchess of York confirmed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a successful single mastectomy at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, earlier this year.
She has since been recovering at home at Royal Lodge, Windsor, where she lives with her ex-husband, despite splitting nearly 30 years ago.
The Duchess of York, 63, shared a photograph of herself and Diana watching the races in Epsom in June 1987, writing: ‘We miss you each day dearest friend’
Princess Diana died in hospital after a crash in a Paris road tunnel on August 31, 1997
Speaking on her final episode of the first series of her podcast Tea Talks, she said that looking back, she realises she had ‘good legs’ and ‘looked good’, but didn’t ‘like herself’.
‘That was because I think I was always compared to Diana and I think that at the end I sort of believed my own press which is, you know, not too good,’ Fergie explained.
However she said that she had found life after the operation had changed her point of view, adding she now ‘likes herself.’
The duchess’s cancer nightmare began two months ago when a routine test first detected something was seriously wrong before the Coronation.
In early May, Sarah attended an appointment in London for a mammogram. Rather than being given the all-clear, as expected, the technician explained that a ‘shadow’ could be seen in the breast.
It is no real surprise that Fergie was quick to pay tribute to Diana on the anniversary of her death, as the pair were friends long before they both entered the Royal Family
Fergie and Diana met as teenagers, and it is widely reported that Diana played a part in setting the Duchess up with her now former husband, Prince Andrew
After Fergie and Andrew were seated together at Windsor Castle, a romance blossomed, and Diana invited the couple to stay at Highgrove – the home she shared with Charles
Given the size of the area, a lumpectomy was ruled out and Sarah was strongly advised to go ahead with a single mastectomy, which would eradicate the shadow of cancerous cells across the breast.
Sarah was said to be devastated but determined to press ahead with a mastectomy as soon as possible, telling friends she had ‘no choice’ but to go through with the operation.
The Duchess endured a punishing eight-hour operation as surgeons battled breast cancer.
During the discussion with her co-host Sarah Thomson, Fergie questioned whether having a ‘a body part cut off’ was something she needed ‘in order to wake up?’.
‘Not because of seeing death but waking up to stop worrying, stop self-hatred, stop self-doubt, stop all these things. Stop not liking yourself…’ she said.
After Sarah questioned if it had ‘taken that’ to get to a more confident place, Fergie said: ‘Yes, it did in my case’.
Though friends, Fergie and Diana faced constant comparison, with the Duchess revealing this week that she struggled with ‘years’ of self-hatred as a result