June 25, 2023 at 6:35pm BST
Updated 37 minutes ago
The Duchess of York is surrounded by family as she recovers from surgery that resulted in breast cancer, her spokesman said.
Sarah Ferguson, 63, who was formerly married to Prince Andrew, got the news after a routine mammogram.
Her spokesman said: “She was told she was going to have surgery, which was successfully performed.”
Her doctors told her the prognosis was good, he added.
The spokesman said she was “receiving the best medical care and … is now recovering with her family.”
She underwent the procedure earlier this week at the King Edward VII Hospital, a private hospital in central London that previously treated the late Queen Elizabeth II and other senior royalty.
This weekend, the Duchess is said to have returned home to Windsor, where she is currently recovering.
On her new podcast called Tea Talk, which will be released on Monday, the Duchess is expected to discuss her diagnosis in a pre-recorded interview.
In a statement, her rep expressed the Duchess’s “huge thanks to all the medical staff who have supported her over the past few days.”
She had been “symptom free” prior to screening and the statement said she “believes her experience underscores the importance of regular screening”.
The Duchess and Prince Andrew divorced in 1996 after ten years of marriage but remain close.
They continue to live together at Royal Lodge, a Crown Estate property in Windsor Great Park.
They have two daughters – Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 33 – and three grandchildren.
The Duchess has become a successful writer. Her latest novel, A Most Intriguing Lady, published earlier this year, became a Sunday Times bestseller.
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The Duchess and Duke of York – pictured in 2019 – are no longer married but remain close
Despite being on good terms with her former royal in-laws, the Duchess was not invited to the King’s coronation on May 6 but was pictured at the concert event the following day in Windsor.
Surgery cures most breast cancers, while chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and endocrine therapy can reduce the long-term risk of death if the disease persists.
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