Princess diana forced to step in and 'bravely' defend fergie from anne

Princess Diana welcomed the arrival of Sarah Ferguson in the royal fold after years of public pressure and attention focused on her work as future queen. The Princess of Wales went as far as

stepping in to defend Fergie from the scrutiny of Princess Anne after the new Duchess of York showed some struggle in adapting to her new role. Commentator Richard Kay told Channel 5

documentary "Royal Wives at War": "Diana had quite a set-to with Princess Anne who was complaining about something that Fergie had done. "Diana stood up for her and said

her piece. "And it was rather brave of Diana as she more or less asked Anne, 'you're going to give her a break? Fergie is good for the family but she's finding it hard to

adjust, just as I did'." Narrator Glynis Barber said the arrival of Fergie had partially helped Diana shed some of the pressure she had been facing since her engagement to Prince

Charles was announced in 1981. Ms Barber said: "In the early months of Fergie's royal life, Diana even defended her in front of important members of the Royal Family. JUST IN:

PIERS MORGAN MOCKS MEGHAN MARKLE OVER PRINCE HARRY BIRTHDAY ‘SNUB’ "For Diana, Fergie's entry into the royal fold was a Godsend. "It took at least some of the attention away

from her at a time when the pressure was becoming unbearable." Broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika added: "I think certainly it was a bit of respite with not being in the glare of the

public eye the whole time. "Probably, it was helpful to her." READ MORE: KATE MIDDLETON PREGNANT: DUCHESS' HEARTBREAKING DECISION AMID PREGNANCY "Diana was actually quite

upset about this but maybe she didn't fight for Sarah enough. "Maybe she could have put her foot down more." But despite her earlier failure to have Sarah brought into the

household, Princess Diana ensured Fergie would join the Royal Family as she introduced her to Prince Andrew. The pair met at Ascot in 1985 and announced their engagement a few months later,

tying the knot at Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986.