Sarah Ferguson, diagnosed with skin cancer months after being treated for breast cancer

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and ex-wife of Prince Andrew, has been diagnosed with skin cancer, British media reported on Sunday, January 21.

Ferguson, 64, who was married to Charles III's younger brother until 1996, was already treated for breast cancer in June last year and has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma after having several moles removed.

“Her dermatologist ordered several moles removed and analyzed at the same time as the duchess was undergoing reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy, and one of them has been identified as cancerous.

“She is undergoing further investigation to ensure this has been detected in the early stages,” her spokesperson said, quoted by

Sky News

.

“Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after breast cancer treatment has been distressing, but the Duchess remains in good spirits,” she guaranteed.

This Monday, January 22, she herself announced it through a publication on her Instagram, where she has 677,000 followers.

“I have been taking some time for myself as I have been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, my second cancer diagnosis within a year after being diagnosed with breast cancer this summer and undergoing surgery.” mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

It was thanks to the great vigilance of my dermatologist that the melanoma was detected in time,” she wrote alongside a photograph in which she is seen smiling.

“Naturally, another cancer diagnosis has been a shock, but I am in good spirits and grateful for the many messages of love and support,” the duchess confirmed.

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In her new message, Ferguson, known as

Fergie

, has spoken again about the importance of undergoing medical check-ups, as she did after her initial breast cancer surgery.

This diagnosis adds to the health problems that the Windsors are facing in these first weeks of 2024;

Although the Duchess of York is no longer part of the active members of the British royal family since her divorce, she is a regular attendee at many of her grand celebrations.

King Charles III, 75, is preparing for a “corrective procedure” for an enlarged prostate this week (although the exact date is unknown).

Last Wednesday, royal officials also announced that Kate Middleton (42 years old), wife of Prince William, heir to the throne, had successfully undergone planned abdominal surgery and will remain in hospital for up to two weeks and a couple of weeks await. months of recovery - such a prolonged period of hospitalization that it suggests that the diagnosis was serious, although they have clarified that, in their case, it does not imply cancer.

Ex-wife of Prince Andrew, disgraced for his relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and accusations of sexual abuse that resulted in a secret financial agreement, Fergie continues to live with the brother of King Charles III in a mansion near Windsor Castle.

According to the British media, he has spent the last few weeks in Austria recovering at Mayrlife - a luxury clinic that has welcomed people such as supermodels Naomi Campbell and Karlie Kloss and actress Rebel Wilson - after spending time with the royal family. at Sandringham over Christmas, a tradition Ferguson had not attended for 30 years.

“The duchess would like to thank the entire medical team that has supported her, in particular her dermatologist, whose surveillance ensured that the disease was detected when it should,” the spokesperson also clarified.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) (@sarahferguson15)

Ferguson will be treated by Dr Andrew Furness, a consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, as well as Catherine Borysiewicz, a dermatologist at the King Edward VII Hospital in the British capital.

“I think my experience underlines the importance of checking the size, shape, color and texture and appearance of new moles which may be a sign of melanoma and urge anyone reading this to be diligent,” the duchess explained in her profile. from Instagram.

“I am resting with family at home now, I feel blessed to have their love and support.”

The duchess is a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust charity and spoke at a Breast Cancer Foundation gala in 2019. Additionally, her eldest daughter Princess Beatrice is a patron of the British Skin Foundation and has worked with skin cancer patients in the past.

The duchess's father, Roland Ferguson, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and skin cancer in the 10 years before his death.

In November 2023, Ferguson confessed on the Loose Women

talk show

that she was afraid of contracting the disease “somewhere else” and admitted that she woke up at night in a panic.

“The 4 a.m. syndrome sets in, that moment when you suddenly wake up and think, 'Oh, I'm sure I have cancer somewhere else... I'm going to go call my doctor.'”

Even so, the Duchess has always been very positive when it comes to facing the disease in front of the public and always takes the opportunity to encourage people to have regular medical check-ups: “For anyone who is thinking 'I can't do it' because you could find something, the sooner you find something and get it removed, and if you have to remove it like a lumpectomy or a mastectomy or whatever you have to do, it's okay to have it,” she said after her mastectomy.

“And it's okay to cry.

It's okay to say 'I'm really terrified.'

Together we can be strong to overcome it.”