In her book Finding Sarah, Ferguson revealed that she and Princess Diana had not communicated for a year before Diana’s tragic car accident in France on August 31, 1997. Ferguson expressed her confusion over their estrangement, noting that Diana tended to hold onto grievances for long periods.
Ferguson shared, “I wrote letters, thinking whatever happened didn’t matter, let’s sort it out,” and added that she believed Diana would eventually reach out again. “In fact, the day before she died, she rang a friend of mine and said, ‘Where’s that Red? I want to talk to her,'” Ferguson recalled.
She further reflected, “In any sibling relationship, there are ups and downs and peaks and troughs, but we were always steadfast in our friendship. We never let the sun go down on too many heated discussions. Our bond was never broken.”
In The Diana Chronicles, a 2007 book by journalist Tina Brown, Ferguson’s memoir is described as containing “nice comments about her sister-in-law… but goddesses don’t get warts.” Brown mentioned that Diana never spoke to Ferguson again, despite Ferguson’s repeated apologies.
Burrell, meanwhile, dismissed the idea that Ferguson’s remark about contracting verrucas from Diana’s shoes was the reason for their fallout. He claimed in The Royal Insider that “Diana felt used and refused to speak to Sarah.” He noted that in the last six months of Diana’s life, she and Ferguson had no contact, which he viewed as unfortunate given their shared experiences. He suggested that a personal issue created an insurmountable barrier between them.
In a video, Lownie echoed this sentiment, stating that Diana was worried Ferguson might have been selling stories about her. He noted that while Ferguson acted as if the relationship had been mended, it remained unrepaired.
