Prince Charles Once Wished That Princess Diana Were Like Sarah Ferguson

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, the prince’s ex-wife, are back in the news with rumors of the couple getting back together. Aside from Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, Prince Charles also openly despises the Duchess of York. However, this was not always the case as the Prince of Wales once wished that his wife acted like the Duchess of York.

Prince Charles has been in open opposition to Sarah, even going so far as asking Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to not invite her for their wedding reception in 2018. The Prince of Wales also reportedly could not stand the duchess, seeing her as an “embarrassment” and labeling her as “shallow.”

However, it seems that his dislike for her started even before his brother and Sarah’s split, spanning back to the height of his issues with Diana. The Duchess of York took Diana’s side, thus disappointing Charles, making him not want to associate any longer with his sister-in-law.

“Charles is not OK with Fergie,” said a source. “ He can’t stand her in reality. They don’t get on personally.”

But this dislike for his former sister-in-law was not always present. In fact, the Prince of Wales really took a liking to Sarah Ferguson when she joined the royal family. The Princess of Wales even shared to biographer Andrew Morton that Ferguson “wooed everybody in [the] family,” leaving Diana looking like “dirt.”

Sarah seamlessly integrated into the family, unlike Charles’ then-wife Diana, who had trouble adapting to the royals’ lifestyle. “You know, this fun figure who embraced country pursuits, threw herself into royal life and seemed to love it,” said royal author Katie Nicholl.

The Duchess of York at that time got along well with Prince Philip and Prince Charles because of her jovial attitude and skill with sports. This reportedly made Princess Diana very jealous.

“How on earth does she do it?” she asked. “She’s carriage-driving with Prince Philip, she’s out shooting with Prince Charles, she’s just a bundle of energy.”

To add to Diana’s insecurities, there was even an instance when Prince Charles asked Diana, “Why can’t you be more like Fergie?”