Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie in Nov. 2023.Photo:Dave Benett/Getty
Dave Benett/Getty
Sarah Fergusonhas the support of her daughters,Princess BeatriceandPrincess Eugenie, as she takes onskin cancer.
The Duchess of York, 64, announced on Sunday she had beendiagnosed with malignant melanomajust months after undergoing amastectomyto treat an early form ofbreast cancer. But a friend tells PEOPLE that her “family is rallying ‘round,” especially her two daughters.
“They’ve been terrific since the summer,” the friend says.
Fergie, as the Duchess of York is known,exclusively told PEOPLEin November that Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 33, “are my wholehearted cheerleaders, my devoted champions and my soulmates, and they have been as supportive as can be, as they always are.”
She added that her grandchildren — Eugenie andJack Brooksbankhave two young sons, August and Ernest, while Beatrice andEdoardo Mapelli Mozzishare daughter Sienna plus Edo’s son Christopher Woolf, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Dara Huang — are “spectacular healers.”
“Joy and laughter can be powerful tools when it comes to healing,” the Duchess said.
WhileFergie is going to “take some time to myself"amid the news of a second cancer diagnosis, going forward, she wants to make the message of testing a central part of her public work. Her father, Major Ronald Ferguson, was diagnosed with skin cancer in the months before he died in 2003 from a heart attack, and it’s already a cause that Princess Beatrice works closely with as apatron of the British Skin Association.
“It would make sense for them to team up on this,” the source adds of Fergie and Beatrice.
Now, she’s getting similar feedback.
Sarah Ferguson in March 2023.Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
“She was encouraged that people have said online that they have been prompted to get their moles checked out. If only one person did that, then it was worth speaking out,” the source adds.
The friend tells PEOPLE that it was a “shock” for Fergie to find out about her second cancer diagnosis.
“It is hard to get your head around, particularly when you get over one and then get a second diagnosis,” the friend says.
However, Fergie’s attitude is “onwards and upwards,” the friend says. “That’s the attitude, whatever’s thrown at her.”
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While Fergie has been receiving treatment for her melanoma in London, she has been recuperating at the MAYRLIFE Clinic in Altaussee, Austria, before returning to her home of Royal Lodge in Windsor.
“She is undergoing further investigations to ensure that this has been caught in the early stages,” her representative said. “Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after treatment for breast cancer has been distressing, but the Duchess remains in good spirits.”
source: people.com
