Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has received uplifting news following her recent skin cancer diagnosis.
In January, it was discovered that Ferguson, 64, was battling skin cancer, a diagnosis that came on the heels of an earlier diagnosis of an early form of breast cancer in June 2023. According to a close friend of Ferguson, she underwent additional surgery to remove the malignancy found during her reconstructive surgery for breast cancer.
The surgery, which focused on the edges of the mole site and her lymph nodes, yielded the best possible outcome at this stage — the cancer had not spread. “Fortunately, they have turned out to be clear. This is the best news she could have on it at this stage,” the friend shared with PEOPLE magazine.
“She is very relieved,” her friend added.
Ferguson, commonly known as “Fergie,” is a public figure best known for her marriage to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. They were married in 1986 but divorced in 1996. Despite their divorce, she has remained a notable figure in the public eye.
Born in 1959, Ferguson has been involved in various charitable activities and has written children’s books, as well as books about her life. She has also worked in media and television. Her relationship with the British royal family has had its ups and downs over the years, but she has managed to maintain a relatively positive public profile. She is the mother of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, both of whom are in the line of succession to the British throne.
In January, when the latest update on her health was released, a statement given to PEOPLE mentioned, “Following her diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer this summer, Sarah, Duchess of York has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma.”
A spokesperson shared that while the Duchess of York was having reconstructive surgery after her mastectomy, she also had several moles removed and examined by a dermatologist, during which one mole was found to be cancerous.
“The Duchess wants to thank the entire medical team which has supported her, particularly her dermatologist whose vigilance ensured the illness was detected when it was,” her representative shared last month. “She believes her experience underlines the importance of checking the size, shape, color and texture and emergence of new moles that can be a sign of melanoma.”
Ferguson initially shared on Instagram in January, “I have been taking some time to myself as I have been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, my second cancer diagnosis within a year after I was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer and underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. It was thanks to the great vigilance of my dermatologist that the melanoma was detected when it was.”
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