‘We miss you each day’: Sarah Ferguson pays tribute to her ‘dearest friend’ Princess Diana to mark 26th anniversary of her death

Sarah Ferguson has paid a loving tribute to her ‘best friend’ Princess Diana as the Royal Family commemorated her death 26 years ago.

The Duchess of York, 63, shared a photo of herself and Diana watching the races at Epsom in June 1987, writing: ‘We miss you every day, dear friend.’

Princess Diana died in hospital on August 31, 1997 after an accident in a traffic tunnel in Paris.

Her death, which came a year after her divorce from King Charles III was finalized, rocked the royal family and left Princes William and Harry without a mother.

Since then, they have both paid tribute by naming their daughters, both of whom bear the nickname of the deceased princess; William named his daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, and Harry named his Lilibet Diana.

It’s no real surprise that Fergie was quick to pay tribute to Diana on the anniversary of her passing, as the pair had been friends long before they both became members of the royal family.

Fergie and Diana met as teenagers, and it’s widely reported that Diana played a part in linking the Duchess to her now-former husband, Prince Andrew.

After Fergie and Andrew spent time together at Windsor Castle, a romance blossomed and Diana invited the couple to live in Highgrove, the house she shared with Charles.

Soon after, the relationship was made public.

Although friends Fergie and Diana were constantly compared to each other, the Duchess revealed this week that she’s struggled with “years” of self-loathing as a result.

Sarah said her recent mastectomy got her through this.

The Duchess of York confirmed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had a successful single mastectomy earlier this year at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London.

She has since been recuperating at home in Royal Lodge, Windsor, where she lives with her ex-husband, despite separating nearly thirty years ago.

The Duchess of York, 63, shared a photo of herself and Diana watching the races at Epsom in June 1987, writing: ‘We miss you every day, dear friend’

Princess Diana died in hospital on August 31, 1997 after an accident in a traffic tunnel in Paris

In her latest episode of the first series of her Tea Talks podcast, she said that looking back, she realizes she had “good legs” and “looked good” but she “didn’t like herself.”

“That was because I think I was always compared to Diana and I think I ended up believing my own press, which, you know, isn’t very good,” Fergie explained.

However, she said she found life after the surgery changed her stance, adding that she now “likes herself.”

The Duchess’s cancer nightmare began two months ago when a routine test revealed something was seriously wrong before the coronation.

In early May, Sarah went to London for a mammogram. Instead of the technician getting the “all-clear” signal as expected, he explained that a “shadow” could be seen in the chest.

It’s no real surprise that Fergie was quick to pay tribute to Diana on the anniversary of her passing, as the pair had been friends long before they both became members of the royal family.

Fergie and Diana met as teenagers, and it’s widely reported that Diana played a part in linking the Duchess to her now-former husband, Prince Andrew.

After Fergie and Andrew spent time together at Windsor Castle, a romance blossomed and Diana invited the couple to stay at Highgrove – the house she shared with Charles.

Given the size of the area, a lumpectomy was ruled out and Sarah was strongly advised to proceed with a single mastectomy, which would eradicate the shadow of cancer cells across the breast.

Sarah would be devastated, but was determined to go through with a mastectomy as soon as possible, telling friends she had “no choice” but to go through with the surgery.

The Duchess underwent a major eight-hour operation while surgeons battled breast cancer.

During the conversation with her co-host Sarah Thomson, Fergie wondered if she had a ‘cut off a body part’ was something she needed ‘to wake up?’.

“Not from seeing death, but from waking up to stop worrying, to stop self-loathing, to stop doubting yourself, to stop doing all these things. Stop not liking yourself…” she said.

After Sarah wondered if it had taken “that” to get into a more confident place, Fergie said, “Yes, it did in my case.”

Although friends Fergie and Diana were constantly compared to each other, the Duchess revealed this week that she’s struggled with “years” of self-loathing as a result.