Sarah Ferguson is in the headlines once again after it was revealed she has been diagnosed with skin cancer just months after having a mastectomy.
Born in 1959, she rose to prominence after marrying Prince Andrew in 1985 and becoming a working member of the Royal Family.
Nicknamed “Fergie” by the media, she grew up in Dummer, Hampshire, and worked for a public relations firm and then a publishing company before marrying the Duke of York. The couple had known each other since they were children.
They wed on July 23, 1986 and went on to have two children – Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, born in 1988 and 1990 respectively.
But Andrew and Fergie’s marriage was on the rocks years later, with the Duchess struggling to adapt to life in the Royal Family and the Duke away from home for long periods while serving in the Navy.
The pair separated in 1992 as their marriage became the source of widespread media coverage. They divorced in 1996, the same year as Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Since then she has been in and out of royal life while developing her career in the media, often seen with her daughters and sometimes attending royal functions.
Despite separating from Prince Andrew, there has always been the hint of a future reunion – with the Duchess staying with the Duke when visiting Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral.
Most strikingly, she has stayed resolutely by Prince Andrew’s side as he became engulfed in scandal over his controversial association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Unusually for a divorced couple, they still live together at Royal Lodge and remain close friends.
On Christmas Day, she joined the rest of the Royal Family for the festive service in Sandringham.
She has co-produced and presented several TV documentaries, both in the UK and the United States. She has also launched a podcast, Tea and Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, where she bravely opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis.
As of 2023, commentators estimated the 64-year-old’s net worth at £1million – but the Duchess is also well known for her dedicated charity work.
Organisations she has campaigned for and been patron of include the Teenage Cancer Trust, Mental Disability Rights International, and the Motor Neurone Disease Association – to name just a few.
The latest news about her health comes at a difficult time for her and the Royal Family.
Just six months earlier, she had a mastectomy, with moles removed from her skin just after her operation.
They were analysed while she was undergoing treatment, leading to a diagnosis that her spokesman said the Duchess found “distressing”.
Typical of her campaigning style, her first statement on the illness included a plea for people to check their skin before it is too late.
The country has only just heard of a double health blow for the Royal Family, with Princess Kate undergoing abdominal surgery earlier this week. She is still in the London Clinic after her treatment.
It was also announced that King Charles is to attend hospital next week for a benign prostate condition.
The Duchess of York has at times courted controversy and been in the headlines for the wrong reasons – but as she begins her latest health fight, even staunch critics of the Royal Family are likely to be wishing her a very speedy recovery.
