Sarah Ferguson has opened up about the “dark places” her mind went to when she was hit with the bombsell of different cancer diagnoses just months apart during a horror year for the royal family.
In an interview with The Times, the Duchess of York, 65, also paid tribute to her family as she detailed her mental health struggles during this difficult time and admitted she worries about her children “all the time”.
The 65-year-old’s candour comes after she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma last January – a shock diagnosis came just six months after she had treatment for breast cancer and underwent breast reconstruction surgery.
Reflecting on the two back-to-back health scares, Ms Ferguson told The Times: “It was hard. I’m generally a positive person, but cancer is like a bomb going off in your life. One diagnosis is enough to deal with, but I had two in the space of a year. I don’t mind admitting that my mind went to some dark places, reflecting on my own mortality.”
She added: “My family have been an immense support to me through this period. I’ve used meditation and mindfulness to help stay positive and balanced.”
The duchess spoke specifically of her daughters Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 34, and how even with all that she has personally endured in recent months, she still finds herself always worrying about them.
She said: “You worry about them all the time. I still do now, when they’re adults. I think young people today have it harder than ever. Social media is a cesspit and it’s very frightening what young people are exposed to.”
Meanwhile, Ms Ferguson appeared to refer to her relationship with Prince Andrew in a conversation about men’s mental health last month, when she opened up about feeling as if she was her father’s “carer” after her sister Jane moved to Australia.
Describing Ronald Ferguson’s reluctance to seek help, she previously told The Sunday Times: “I was left to look after a sad man, which is sort of what I’m doing now.”
The Duke of York, 64 – with whom she is believed to be on good terms despite their divorce nearly 30 years ago – was forced to step back from public life five years ago after the furore over his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The duchess’s interview follows what Prince William called a “dreadful” year for the royals, in which the family were put under considerable mental and physical strain.
The Prince of Wales recently described 2024 as “the hardest year in my life” after both his wife, the Princess of Wales, and his father, the King, were also diagnosed with cancer.
News of the King Charles’s cancer came in February, after it was discovered while he was treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate last January.
The monarch cancelled all face-to-face public duties, and the prince, who was caring for Princess Kate after she had major abdominal surgery in January, returned to work, with the Queen and Princess Anne also holding the fort.
