Adjusting to life in the Royal Family as a newcomer comes with its challenges, as royal brides over the years have experienced. While Princess Diana had her own struggles while she was married to Prince Charles, she often leaned on members of palace staff for support—with a special letter the "lonely" princess wrote to one footman recently having been auctioned off. But in his new book, Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, revealed that palace staff treated Sarah Ferguson much differently.
Ferguson married Prince Andrew in July 1986—five years after Diana and Charles—and experienced her fair share of criticism in the press amid comparisons to Diana. It turns out that she received the same treatment within Buckingham Palace, too. In his memoir The Royal Insider (via the Mirror), Burrell wrote that "Fergie was twenty-six and like a bouncy, uncontrollable red setter puppy. She was not as popular or as well received downstairs as Diana had been."
"Fergie may have been a breath of fresh air for the Royals but the staff preferred the gentleness of the established Princess of Wales whom they had known for almost five years," Burrell added.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are seen on their 1986 wedding day.
"Fergie was a newcomer and she had to earn the trust of the staff," he added. "She was far too familiar for her own good, but the staff could be snobs at times."
Describing one incident during a hunting trip, the former butler wrote, "When the men were out stalking, the ladies would meet them on the hills for a picnic lunch. A page would enquire in advance what people wanted to eat and compile a list."
"On one occasion, Fergie sent one member of staff into a rage having failed to comply with his request," the author continued. "In a voice heard by all the ladies assembled, including the Queen, he boomed, 'What does that red-haired mare want for lunch?’"
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson are seen skiing in 1988.
Burrell wrote that none of the royals spoke up or corrected the staff member. "It was accepted with silence as if it was never said," he continued. "No reprimand. The staff had formed their opinion based on gossip and her behaviour."
The Duchess of York has been in the news once again after a 2011 email she wrote to "supreme friend" Jeffrey Epstein was leaked on September 20. According to one royal insider, The King and Prince William disagree on how to handle Ferguson and Prince Andrew, who was forced to step down from royal duties after his association with the late convicted sex offender.
"William feels even more strongly than The King that Andrew and Fergie are an embarrassment and will be urging his father to act," a source told the Daily Mail. However, "The King doesn't want to cut ties with his brother, former sister-in-law and that side of the family."
