A new biography claims Sarah Ferguson harbored jealousy toward Princess Diana, fueled by her alleged admiration for John F. Kennedy Jr. The Duchess of York, now 65, reportedly developed what author Andrew Lownie describes as a “schoolgirl crush” on Kennedy.
According to Lownie’s book, entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, Ferguson’s feelings intensified after learning that Diana had secretly met Kennedy Jr. in New York.
The biography suggests that following her divorce from Prince Andrew, Ferguson’s attention turned to the son of the late U.S. president. Lownie writes that Ferguson even invited Kennedy Jr. for drinks in 1996, despite being aware he was dating actress Daryl Hannah at the time.
Her frustration reportedly deepened when she discovered that Diana had already arranged a private half-hour meeting with Kennedy Jr. at a New York hotel during Christmas 1995. Royal aides suggested the encounter may have been intended to provoke her sister-in-law, adding another layer to the often tense relationship between Diana and Ferguson.
Patrick Jephson, Diana’s former private secretary, recalled the secrecy surrounding the meeting. In JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography, he wrote, “Diana wanted it to be discreet because it had all the makings of a great gossip story.”
The tensions between the two women were not limited to Kennedy Jr. Ferguson and Diana’s relationship, which reportedly collapsed after the publication of Ferguson’s 1996 autobiography My Story. In it, Ferguson included personal details about her friendship with Diana, despite being asked not to share such information.
According to reports, Diana specifically requested that Ferguson refrain from writing about her or her sons, Prince William and Harry. The violation of this trust is said to have caused a bitter rift. By 1997, the two women had reportedly ceased speaking altogether, a silence that lasted until Diana’s death in Paris later that year.
The revelations about jealousy, secrecy, and strained family ties add to the growing body of literature chronicling the often tumultuous dynamics within the royal family during the 1990s. Diana’s meeting with Kennedy Jr., described as both brief and discreet, remains one of the many intriguing episodes from the final years of her life.
Meanwhile, Lownie’s biography paints Ferguson as a woman navigating her own challenges in the aftermath of her divorce, seeking attention and connections in elite circles. The claims, if accurate, highlight the complicated bond between the two women—once close friends but ultimately driven apart by rivalry, hurt, and mistrust.