World enews: Sarah Ferguson sweetly honours Queen Elizabeth’s memory amid cancer diagnosis

Sarah Ferguson has sweetly honoured the late Queen Elizabeth II amid her breast cancer diagnosis.

The 63-year-old Duchess of York posted a series of photos to her Instagram account on 11 July, in which she reflected on the way she’d recently celebrated the late monarch.

“I took all seven doggies yesterday to where Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth used to walk them. It was wonderful to have a moment to remember,” she wrote. “On this week’s podcast episode of Tea Talks with the Duchess & Sarah, out Thursday, we’ll talk about dealing with grief, gaining strength and all the small steps we must take to recovery.”

Ferguson, known by many as “Fergie,” was referring to the Queen’s two corgis, Sandy and Muick, who she took in after the monarch’s death in September 2022 at age 96, and the duchess’ own five Norfolk terriers.

The author’s social media post captured budding flowers weaving through the trees and throughout the fields in front of her on the sunny Tuesday.

About a month before Ferguson’s sweet remembrance, a representative for the duchess confirmed she had been “diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening”.

“The duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family,” the representative noted.

Ferguson recently revealed she wasn’t planning on going to her regular check-up because it was too hot outside and as far as she could tell, she was symptom-free. During a pre-recorded episode of her podcast, she said: “It was after bank holiday, and I live in this area – in the Windsor area – and it was a hot day, and I didn’t feel like going to London. It’s easy to put it off ‘I’ll do it next week.”

Luckily, her sister Jane, phoning in from Australia for a different reason, convinced the duchess to go to her appointment. While there, the Her Heart For A Compass author recalled her doctor spotting a shadow in the mammogram.

Ferguson has spoken out about her recovery since undergoing a mastectomy and getting DIEP flap reconstructive surgery during her 5 July podcast.

“When I walked in on the day, I walked straight into critical care. And that made me a little bit wobbly,” Ferguson admitted.

While the mother of two feels “very lucky” to have caught the cancer early on, she urged everyone to keep an eye on their own health.

“It’s not bravery. It’s not courage. It’s about understanding that you’re not going to feel as you did for a bit. So don’t try and be a superhero. Take many steps, have the cup of tea, trust people. Very important not to be complacent with every single thing now,” she said. We must make people realize, it’s not okay. But if you’re going to get it, then catch it quick. Do the screening, catch it quick and go and say I can do this.”

This is not the first time that Ferguson has fondly remembered the late monarch, as she described the Queen as “the finest ever icon… legendary, incredible” during a 2022 interview with The Telegraph.