Why Sarah Ferguson's Friendship With Queen Camilla Took Even Her By Surprise

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has long-standing ties to the royal family that stretch beyond her 1986 wedding to Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Her father, Ronald Ferguson, played polo with Prince Philip, and she and King Charles were childhood playmates. Famously, Ferguson formed a tight bond with Princess Diana. "I loved her from the minute I met her when I was 14 to the minute she passed away. ... She was my best friend then and still is now," she informed The Telegraph in 2021. Given Ferguson's solidarity with Diana, it's remarkable that she and Queen Camilla ever became friends.

Charles and Camilla's affair purportedly started the same year Ferguson and Andrew married, complicating King Charles and Sarah Ferguson's relationship. "There's so much baggage because he feels she sided with Diana over Camilla all those years ago," an insider alleged to The Sun. Acknowledging past obstacles, Ferguson told The Times in 2024, "That's why it's so big that the Queen and I get on now."   

Ferguson also alluded to the common ground she found with Camilla. "Queen Camilla was close friends with Mum, which is why we're so close now," she shared. After her parents separated, Ferguson's relationship with her mom, Susan Barrantes, became strained. However, decades after Barrantes died, Ferguson was able to work through past pain and reforge their connection. "I look back now and thank you, forgive you, and love you more," Ferguson wrote as part of the compilation, "A Letter to My Mom" (via Hello!). 

Another point of connection between Queen Camilla and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is that both women understand the challenges of marrying into the royal family and living a very public life. Overcoming adversity among the royals who weren't too keen on Camilla's relationship with King Charles, the queen dealt with unflattering media coverage. Also taking major heat, Fergie's scandalous affair with John Bryan caused the duchess a serious blow to her reputation.

However, it's their commitment to looking out for each other that's cemented the bond between Camilla and Ferguson. Midway through the 2010s, Camilla was reportedly working behind the scenes to include Ferguson in royal events. In one instance involving The Elephant Family, Camilla was said to be motivated by an association with her late brother, Mark Shand, who founded the philanthropical organization. "Camilla adored her brother and so is instinctively fond and slightly misty-eyed about anyone who helped him out, as Fergie did as patron and long-standing supporter of the charity," an insider informed the Daily Mail in 2016.

This inclusion has increased in the years since, with Ferguson joining the family at Sandringham for Christmas in 2022 — for the first time in 30 years. Over the decades, Ferguson has consistently praised Camilla for her outstanding kindness, while pledging to reciprocate. "I admire the extraordinary support she's giving this country. I want to do as much for the queen as possible," the duchess affirmed to The Times in 2024.