Prince Philip and his former daughter-in-law Sarah Ferguson might have gotten on pretty well during her marriage to his son, Prince Andrew. But when she told the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh that they were divorcing, he reportedly harbored the biggest grudge against his kindred spirit.
Since the Duchess of York's divorce to Prince Andrew in 1992, Prince Philip has made his displeasure known about her in public. He has uttered the cruelest comments about her former daughter-in-law.
Prince Philip apparently insulted Sarah to her face when they announced their divorce. He suggested to her that she might as well join the nunnery or commit herself to the "loony bin" if she would like to leave her husband, per Daily Express.
Sarah also said that Prince Philip once called her "odd and pointless" and that deeply affected her, per New York Post. In fact, she was in a depressive bout for years because of these verbal attacks.
"It was so bad that I believed I was this worthless human being. I thought maybe Prince Philip was right," the duchess said. "But I don't want to develop a thicker skin. I want to know, not why he says I'm odd and pointless, but why it affects me. What is it in me I need to fix and heal?"
In another interview, Sarah said that Prince Philip called her "idiotic" after becoming involved in a scandal where she offered journalists that she'll give private details about her ex-husband in exchange for money. However, she admitted that she was really in the wrong and understood why the Duke of Edinburgh would be upset towards her. At that time she had done this, she filed for bankruptcy.
Prince Philip considered Sarah an embarrassment to the monarchy after photos of her in a romantic getaway with another man -- while she was still married to his son -- came out in the press. Sarah was not allowed to attend family events like their annual Christmas lunches because he would treat her with hostility.
Over the years, however, the royal family, including Prince Philip, has relaxed towards the Duchess of York and she was actually present at the royal wedding of her famous nephew, Prince Harry to Meghan Markle. The Duke of Edinburgh also attended the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah's daughter, Princess Eugenie, in 2018. He willingly posed for a photo with Sarah's family, which hasn't happened in over two decades.
On Prince Philip's 98th birthday last June, Sarah actually paid tribute to his ex-father-in-law by posting a never-before-seen image of the Duke on her Instagram. Meanwhile, her relationship with Prince Andrew has always remained cordial despite their divorce.
