Sarah Ferguson has had an extremely difficult year after further details of her ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein emerged. When an email resurfaced in which Sarah called the disgraced financier a “supreme friend,” she was quickly dropped as the patron of several charities, including those that support children.
In the months that followed, both Sarah and her ex-husband were officially stripped of their royal titles and formally served notice at Royal Lodge in Windsor, the 30-room mansion they had shared since 2008.
However, before all of the troubles of 2025 began, Sarah enjoyed a close relationship with King Charles and even confirmed that she used to play pranks on him as a child.
As the daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson, who was the then-Prince of Wales’ polo manager, she was raised at Dummer Down Farm in Hampshire. As the Ferguson family would come into frequent contact with the Royal Family, it was not uncommon for the future King to come and stay.
They were so close, in fact, that Sarah and her elder sister, Jane, would play pranks on their special guest.
Speaking to the Sunday Times in 2024, Sarah revealed: “At Dummer, Mum would say, ‘Don’t be naughty with the Prince of Wales when he comes to stay, don’t duck him in the pool.’ I’d duck him straight in the pool and put a fake dog turd outside his room. He thought it was hilarious.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the former Duchess spoke in further detail about her relationship with the King and how they had remained close despite her divorce from Andrew and various scandals that had occurred over the years.
She explained: “I’ve known the King all my life and I absolutely adore him. He’s kind and makes me laugh, and I love that he still calls me Fergie.”
In the interview, she also spoke about her relationship with Queen Camilla. “Queen Camilla was close friends with Mum, which is why we’re so close now,” she shares. “But Diana was my best friend from the age of 14. That’s why it’s so big that the Queen and I get on now. It’s rather nice, and she reminds me of Mum.”
Ferguson adds that she wishes she could do more for the royals, saying of Queen Camilla, “I admire the extraordinary support she’s giving this country. I want to do as much for the Queen as possible. I wish they’d ask me to do more.”
