Royal Butler Says Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson’s Relationship “Disintegrated” After One Crucial Promise Was Broken

“It was too much to ask.”

At one point, Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson were incredibly close. However, the pair fell out, and at the time of Princess Diana’s death, they were estranged. Now, a former royal butler has written about the reason for Diana and Ferguson’s relationship “disintegrating.”

In his new book The Royal Insider: My Life With The Queen, The King, and Princess Diana, former butler Paul Burrell explored what happened between the two royals. “Fergie formed a friendship with Diana, Princess of Wales, from the beginning of 1982,” Burrell wrote (via the Daily Mail). “They would discuss the dour men in grey suits within the Royal Household, nicknamed ‘the enemy within.'”

Initially, the two women reportedly had a unique bond, and Princess Diana “was able to offer Sarah some sage advice on the dos and don’ts, whom she could trust, and a rather lengthy list of those with whom she should be cautious.” According to Burrell, “the relationship between them disintegrated” following the 1996 release of Ferguson’s memoir, My Story.

Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson attend the Epsom Derby on June 3, 1987.

(Image credit: Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)

“Although Diana supported Sarah’s decision to go public and become an independent woman, her support came with conditions,” Burrell wrote. “Diana requested that Sarah not talk about her, her boys [Harry and William], or their relationship, but it was too much to ask.”

Unfortunately, Ferguson shared a number of personal stories about Princess Diana in the 1996 memoir. “When the book was published, Diana was furious that throughout its pages, there were references to her, William and Harry,” Burrell explained.

“Diana requested that Sarah not talk about her.”

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Dismissing one incorrect assumption about the royals, Burrell wrote, “Many thought that the fallout was caused by Sarah suggesting that she had contracted verrucas from shoes given to her by Diana, but that was not the case. Diana felt used and refused to speak to Sarah.”

Tragically, Ferguson and Diana still weren’t speaking when the princess died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997. According to Burrell, the reason for their estrangement was a broken promise regarding Diana’s privacy, which is incredibly sad.