'My dear departed friend': Sarah Ferguson pays tribute to Princess Diana

Sarah Ferguson shared a sweet tribute to some of the "strong women" she's known throughout her life last week - including the late Princess Diana.

On International Women's Day on Friday, the Duchess of York posted a message on her social media, paying tribute to various family members and friends.

And in the touching message, Fergie made sure to mention her close pal Princess Diana, in a rare comment on the friendship they shared.

She also shared a sweet message about her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, admitting they "make me proud every day."

Sarah wrote, 'Thinking of some of the strong women who've been part of my life - my late mother, my dear, departed friends Diana and Carolyn Cotterell and of course my fierce, beautiful, loving daughters Beatrice and Eugenie who make me proud every day #InternationalWomensDay #BalanceforBetter #girlpower'.

The Duchess's followers were quick to comment on the post, with many saying Sarah should also count herself amongst the strong women she praised.

One said, 'I love this post so much! I agree with others here that you should also count yourself! You’re wonderful!! ❤️'

As another fan agreed writing, 'Count yourself as a strong woman twice! Once for each of the daughters you raised! God bless you.💖'

And a third commented, 'Well said. You are a very strong woman whi has done wonderful things. Your daughters are a credit to you xx'

It's thought that sadly, Princess Diana and Fergie had lost touch at the time of Diana's death, with the Duchess explaining that she didn't quite know why.

However, she has since described Diana as one of her best friends, and admitted that she missed her at her daughter Eugenie's wedding in October last year. She said, “It was a total joy to be with her because we just laughed and enjoyed life so much, and I know she would have loved the wedding.”

In the message, Fergie also paid homage to her childhood friend Carolyn Cotterell, who passed away aged 43 after a battle with skin cancer.

The friends shared a flat in London before Sarah married Prince Andrew, and in the foreword to her book, A Recipe For Life, Fergie revealed how much their friendship meant to her.

She said, "She gave me time, care and understanding. She guided me through - she was my light.

"I know thousands of people in the world think this, whoever Carolyn met, even for a second knew she had a soul that was too good for this world. God needed it."

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Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist specialising in homes, interiors and hobbies. She began her career working as the features assistant at woman&home magazine, before moving over to the digital side of the brand where she eventually became the Lifestyle Editor up until January 2022. Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards in 2019 for her work on womanandhome.com.