Diana and Fergie's Secret Alliance Against Palace 'Enemy Within'
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, forged a powerful and intimate friendship during the early 1980s as newcomers to the Royal Family, according to explosive revelations from Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell. The pair reportedly bonded over shared frustrations with anonymous Palace advisers who rigidly controlled their schedules and public appearances, even devising a sardonic private nickname for these officials.
The 'Enemy Within' Nickname and Shared Resentment
In his book Royal Insider, Burrell, who worked closely with Sarah Ferguson, details how the two women would privately discuss what they termed "the dour men in grey suits" within the Royal Household. They nicknamed these influential advisers "the enemy within," reflecting their deep-seated resentment towards the opaque power structures dictating their lives. Diana, having spent five years in the Royal Family before Ferguson's arrival following her 1986 marriage to Prince Andrew, reportedly offered crucial guidance to Ferguson about whom to trust and whom to treat with extreme caution within the Palace walls.
Burrell describes it as "tragic" that this supportive relationship later deteriorated, particularly after the 1996 publication of Ferguson's autobiography, My Story. The book caused significant strain, with reports suggesting Diana felt betrayed by its contents, marking the beginning of a lasting rift between the once-close allies.
Financial Pressures and Controversial Associations
Financial difficulties formed a recurring theme during Ferguson's time as a working royal. She secured a substantial publishing advance from Simon & Schuster for her autobiography, reportedly between £800,000 and £1.5 million. At the time, company executive Michael Korda stated the publisher welcomed the opportunity to present Ferguson's own account rather than media portrayals. It later emerged that Ferguson suggested she might persuade Diana to write a book as well. Author Andrew Lownie, in his work Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, claims the publisher offered an additional £1 million if such a collaborative project materialised.
Burrell and other commentators have described Ferguson as becoming increasingly dependent on wealthy friends as her financial woes deepened. Even Queen Elizabeth II, who had reportedly helped settle debts in the past, was said to have declined further assistance. A Buckingham Palace statement at the time stressed the Duchess's finances were private matters to be resolved separately from royal duties.
Legal pressures also surfaced in 1996 when Lily Mahtani, wife of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, pursued action over repayment of a £100,000 loan, of which only £5,000 had been returned. According to The New York Times, Ferguson later implemented cost-cutting measures at her rented London home, including spending caps and staffing economies. Despite this, travel records from the mid-1990s indicated extensive international journeys, totalling roughly 205,000 miles in a single year. Lownie also alleges an assistant was once dispatched across the Atlantic on Concorde at great expense simply to deliver documents.
Epstein Links and Ongoing Scrutiny
Sarah Ferguson has recently faced renewed scrutiny over her historic links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after more than three million documents connected to the disgraced financier were published by the US Department of Justice. One email exchange from August 3, 2009, appears to show Ferguson thanking Epstein for "being the brother I have always wished for." The message, between Epstein and someone identified only as "Sarah," also references discussions with retailers about her "Sarah Ferguson brand."
Ferguson previously faced criticism for writing to Epstein after his conviction, describing him as a "supreme friend," though she has since publicly distanced herself. Following Prince Andrew's loss of royal titles, Ferguson has resumed wider use of her maiden name. Her spending during her royal tenure extended to gifts for friends, staff, and charity associates, including bespoke key rings bearing her personal crest for supporters of her Children in Crisis foundation.
The revelations from Paul Burrell shed new light on the complex dynamics within the Royal Family during a tumultuous period, highlighting the personal struggles and alliances that shaped the lives of two of its most prominent members.
