Sarah Ferguson has been diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer.
A representative for the Duchess of York, 63, told Sky News on Sunday, June 25, that Ferguson had been diagnosed after a recent routine mammogram screening.
“She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully,” the spokesperson noted. “The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family. The Duchess wants to express her immense gratitude to all the medical staff who have supported her in recent days.”
Ferguson’s rep noted that the England native was “hugely thankful” to the medical professionals who identified her condition, noting she is “otherwise symptom-free.”
Neither the A Most Intriguing Lady author nor her family have shared further details about her illness.
Ferguson started dating Prince Andrew in 1985, nearly one year before getting engaged. The pair wed at Westminster Abbey in July 1986 before going on to welcome two daughters: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Ferguson and Andrew, 63, ultimately called it quits in January 1992 and their divorce was finalized four years later.
Despite their divorce, the now-exes have remained cordial coparents and even still live together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
“He’s such a good man,” Ferguson gushed of Andrew during an April interview on Good Morning Britain. “He’s a kind, good man. … He’s a very good grandfather.” (The comment came two months after Andrew settled a lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, who sued him for allegedly raping and sexually abusing her when she was 17.)
The Yorks have four grandchildren. Beatrice, 34, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi share daughter Sienna, 19 months. The princess is also stepmother to Mozzi’s 7-year-old son, Wolfie, from a previous relationship. Eugenie, 33, for her part, shares sons August, 2, and Ernest, 3 weeks, with husband Jack Brooksbank.
“While Beatrice was away in Jordan [for the royal wedding], I was allowed to have Sienna [over] to play and to stay with me,” Ferguson gushed of her only granddaughter during an episode of her “Tea Talks” podcast earlier this month. “It was very nice. The last couple of days, I’ve managed to really have a bond [with her], and guess what my bond is? I gave her a little sip of tea out of my teacup!”
The children’s book author mentioned at the time that she is called “GG” by her grandkids.
In addition to doting on her daughters’ little ones, Ferguson also has a menagerie of four-legged companions, including the late Queen Elizabeth II’s two corgis.
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“They’re known as national treasures so when they go chasing squirrels and trees are in the way, [you have to] go straight to the vet,” Ferguson joked of pups Muick and Sandy during a March appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan. “Funny enough, they don’t have [security detail]. They have my five Norfolk terriers, so they’re protected and they came with their royal beds, so they go to their own bedrooms [to sleep each night].”
