Sarah Ferguson recalls Queen laughing at her and Lady Diana’s wild hen-do antics

Sarah Ferguson has recalled how the late Queen laughed at her and Princess Diana’s wild hen-do antics. Fergie, 64, said she and the late Princess – who were “wingwomen”‘ to each other – were arrested a week before her wedding to Prince Andrew for impersonating police officers. The Duchess of York said Diana had to “flick her ring” – which she also referred to as “her call sign” – to get out of the situation. Fergie admitted she was ‘hauled to the boss’ the following day, but said Her Majesty did find the story amusing. “On my hen night we did dress up as policewomen and we were arrested by parks police,” she told the White Wine Question Time podcast. “And, we were put in the back of the parks police van and Diana then leant and ate his smokey bacon crisps – the man who was driving. Then we were arrested and then eventually she had to flick her ring, her call sign. And then we got off, eventually.” Ferguson’s hen party was one week before her July 1986 wedding to Prince Andrew, now 64. “Certainly I was hauled in front of the boss the next day. But luckily the HM did laugh.” The Duchess of York continued. She added: “We both flashed our rings because I had one by then, it was certainly a very good memory.” Sarah said she and Diana, who died in 1997 at 36 years old, had gone to Annabel’s nightclub in Central London. Fergie said a staff member at the Private Member’s Club – that was often frequented by members of the royal family – ‘didn’t recognise us’ and asked them to leave as ‘this is a club for people to have fun’. “He thought we were policewomen. And then we got out onto Berkeley Square and a woman got out in a tatters dress, and it was spotty, and Diana said ‘Oh I’ve got that dress’. I said ‘Shush, be quiet, you’re a policewoman you can’t say things like that’. She was very funny.” Sarah spoke fondly of her relationship with the late Princess and said: “We were both wingwomen to each other. We’re sort of distant cousins, and you know, we’ve been friends all our life and I loved her with all my heart,” she continued. “I called her Dutch, she was two years younger than me so I was quite bossy. We had a great time together.” Ferguson and Prince Andrew separated in 1991 and finalised their divorce in 1996. Together they share two children: Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 34.