A new royal biography has revealed a startling moment of tension within the Royal Family, alleging that Princess Anne was so incensed by Sarah Ferguson's behaviour during a major scandal that she came close to throttling her.
The Balmoral Breakfast Confrontation
The incident unfolded in August 1992, when Sarah, the Duchess of York, arrived at Balmoral to join the Royal Family. She came down for breakfast to find her in-laws, including Princess Anne, already reading newspaper accounts of her holiday scandal.
Just days earlier, Sarah had been photographed in the south of France with her American financial advisor, John Bryan. The now-infamous images showed Bryan sucking Sarah's toes as they sunbathed, creating a media firestorm.
According to Andrew Lownie's biography, 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York', Sarah immediately fled the breakfast room upon realising the news had broken. The atmosphere was reportedly explosive.
Royal Wrath and the Fallout
Lownie's account, based on testimony from those present, describes Princess Anne's reaction as particularly fierce. One witness told the duchess's biographer Chris Hutchins that the Princess Royal 'came close to throttling' Sarah.
The tension reportedly continued into the evening. At dinner, Anne did not hold back in telling Sarah exactly what she thought of her behaviour. The author notes significantly that 'there was not one voice raised against Anne' for her outburst, suggesting others shared her disapproval.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew's initial anger reportedly melted into sadness. He sought solace in the special reports compiled for the Queen, which she permitted him to read.
A Strange Reaction to Scandal
The biography also includes perspective from a Balmoral servant who was present during the saga. They observed that Sarah 'acted in the strangest way' throughout the ordeal.
The servant remarked: 'You would have thought she was the person wronged, as if she had every right to go on holiday with another man, kiss and cuddle him, and the only person who had behaved wrongly were the photographer and the editors of the newspapers who had published the pictures.'
This dramatic episode occurred during the breakdown of Sarah's marriage to Prince Andrew, marking her first major controversy as a member of the Royal Family and highlighting the intense pressure she faced from within the institution itself.
