Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was diagnosed with malignant skin cancer while undergoing treatment for breast cancer, according to reports Sunday.
“Following her diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer, Sarah, Duchess of York, has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma,” a statement from the duchess’s spokesperson read, Sky News reported.
Ferguson was found to have several moles on her skin at the time of her reconstructive surgery after her June 2023 mastectomy, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, the spokesperson added, according to the outlet. After removal and analysis, one of the moles was reportedly found to be cancerous.
“She is undergoing further investigations to ensure that this has been caught in the early stages too. Clearly, another diagnosis so soon after treatment for breast cancer has been distressing but the Duchess remains in good spirits,” the spokesperson added, according to the outlet.
“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,” Ferguson wrote an Instagram post published Monday. “It was thanks to the great vigilance of my dermatologist that the melanoma was detected when it was.”
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“I am resting with family at home now, feeling blessed to have their love and support,” she continued.
The announcement followed the news about Kate, the Princess of Wales, having had abdominal surgery five days ago. King Charles III is scheduled for prostate treatment this week.
Just before her mastectomy, Ferguson said she wondered whether to break the news of her breast cancer diagnosis but later thought announcing it was important so that people could also go and get checked, The Independent reported.
Ferguson joked she had named her reconstructed left breast “Derek” following her single mastectomy and that her right breast, which she called “Eric,” was “feeling rather sad because he is not as perky,” the BBC reported. (RELATED: Duchess Of York Undergoes Breast Cancer Surgery)
Ferguson, an author, was previously married to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, with whom she had Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the Associated Press reported.
“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,” Ferguson’s spokesperson said, according to Sky News.