Sarah Ferguson earlier this week claimed she 'didn't really know' Meghan Markle. which sparked controversy on whether the royals have bad blood. Photos / Getty Images
Sarah Ferguson earlier this week claimed she 'didn't really know' Meghan Markle. which sparked controversy on whether the royals have bad blood. Photos / Getty Images
While both Meghan Markle and Sarah Ferguson share quite a few things in common at first glance, both being highly ambitious, marrying into the royal family under enormous pressure and rebuilding their lives in the US, their supposed similarities have failed to forge a strong friendship between the pair.
In fact, according to the Daily Mail, the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of York have had a rather rocky relationship since meeting in October 2016.
After Harry and Meghan started dating, the Prince claimed he wanted Fergie to be the first royal to meet his new girlfriend, with the group allegedly having drinks at Prince Andrew’s current residence, the Royal Lodge.
However, while Markle is said to be close with Fergie’s daughter Princess Eugenie, and has attended various weddings and events with her - including the Queen’s funeral - the princess’ mum made a claim this week that she “doesn’t really know” the Montecito royal.
In their bombshell interview with Oprah back in 2021, the Duchess of Sussex claimed that Fergie was the one who taught her how to curtsey.
Markle revealed in the interview that when she met Queen Elizabeth for the first time at the Royal Lodge, she “didn’t even know how to curtsey” and was taken aback when Harry explained the tradition and what was expected of her.
Markle said: “I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family. I didn’t fully understand what the job was.”
The American-born royal said that was the moment “the penny dropped” that her understanding of the royal family was “very different” to the reality of royal life, divulging that she had to learn how to execute the royal tradition “very quickly”.
She said: “I didn’t know I was going to meet her until moments before. We were in the car and we were going to the Royal Lodge for lunch, and he [Harry] was like, ‘Oh, my grandmother is here, she’s gonna be there after church.
“Right in front of the house we practised and ran in. Fergie ran out and said: ‘Do you know how to curtsy?’,” she recalled.
“Apparently I did a very deep curtsy, I don’t remember it, and then we sat there and we chatted.”
It is not evident what other events would have caused the two duchesses to have crossed paths privately, however there were a handful of occasions where they were seen in public at the same royal affairs.
Meghan Markle and Sarah Ferguson were both at St George's Chapel on October 12, 2018. Photo / Getty Images
After many years of being snubbed from royal events, Fergie seemingly received an olive branch when she was invited to attend Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018.
The Duchess of York spoke about the royal invitation on Good Morning Britain: “I felt like I was really happy for my friend Diana, who I love, and my mum and dad, and I felt honoured and grateful for Harry and Meghan to invite me.
“It was very kind of them and I think I can’t thank them enough for doing that because it was nerve-wracking but I knew I was ready.”
However, Fergie was reportedly “deeply upset” when she did not crack an invitation to the “inner sanctum” evening reception at Frogmore House, according to National Post.
The guest list was allegedly handled by Prince Harry’s father, Charles.
The duchesses’ next meeting wouldn’t come until the following October, when they likely bumped into each other at Princess Eugenie’s wedding.
However, Fergie was reportedly left fuming when the Sussexes decided to announce their first pregnancy the day of the wedding.
Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank leave St George's Chapel following their wedding. Photo / Getty Images
In Royals at War, investigative journalists Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett revealed: “Meghan put her foot in it when she decided that it would be the ideal moment to announce that she and Harry were expecting their first child.
“This was a huge social gaffe, even if you were not a royal – stealing the limelight from Eugenie, who was furious, as was her mother, Sarah.”
Whispers of bad blood between the Montecito royals and Fergie went into overdrive when the Duchess of Cornwall tweeted a picture of her royal wedding outfit at the exact moment the Sussexes announced they were expecting on social media on October 15, 2018.
At 8:40am, the Palace officially revealed the pregnancy on what was Eugenie’s mother’s 59th birthday.
At the exact time of the pregnancy announcement, Fergie shared a post on Twitter thanking the designer of the dress she wore on her daughter’s big day.
What’s more, the royal then posted three more messages saying how “proud” she was of Eugenie and Jack - Fergie’s son-in-law - but failed to mention Harry and Meghan’s big announcement.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Samantha Barry speak onstage. Photo / Getty Images
However, by July 2021, the air seemed to have been cleared some way or another.
The Duchess of York revealed she is “a great supporter of Oprah Winfrey” while talking about the Sussexes’ “truthbomb” interview after Megxit.
Fergie told The Telegraph: “I’m a great supporter of Oprah and everything that she does ... I wouldn’t presume to give advice to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex except to say to be happy.
“I did have to make my own way in the world when I left the family, and it is not always easy.”
Fergie recalled speaking to Meghan at the funeral: “She looked absolutely beautiful. I think she is beautiful.” Photo / AP
Despite her affectionate words regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Fergie was not included as one of the 40 stars to feature in Meghan’s 40th birthday video and 40x40 initiative.
She told the Daily Mail: “I don’t believe that any single person has the right to judge another person. I’m not in a position myself to make any judgments.
“I have been judged all my life, and I have no judgment on the Sussexes.”
Despite the two having differing stories of their relationship, Fergie has given many a compliment to the Duchess of Sussex on various occasions.
She praised Markle for making “Harry very happy”, saying: “She has made Harry very happy, and that is so nice. Honestly, he’s so happy with her. She really loves him. And I think that’s beautiful.”
