The Duchess of York has admitted that her cancer diagnoses felt ‘like a death sentence’.

Sarah Ferguson, 65, received a breast cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2023 and underwent a single mastectomy before being told she had a form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, last January.

The mother-of-two, who likened her health battles to a ‘bomb going off in my life’, is now advocating for better policies for young people battling the disease via Teenage Cancer Trust’s campaign, #AndYoungPeople.

Sarah, a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, told The Times, ‘I was 63 when I was diagnosed with cancer for the first time and cancer at any age is traumatic.

‘But as adults we have maturity and life experience to help us advocate for ourselves and cope with challenges. We can seek help if we need it and most importantly our voices are, sadly, often taken more seriously.’

Sarah added that young sufferers can be left to cope either in adult wards with people far senior, or children’s wards with the reverse issue, when there should be places tailored to their age group, she believes.

To inspire change, Sarah is supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust’s campaign, which launches today and is asking the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to consider teens in the National Cancer Plan for England.

She will continue to show her support for the cause tomorrow during a visit to a cancer unit alongside her daughters, Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 35.

The Duchess of York (seen in Windsor last Sunday) has told how her cancer diagnoses felt like a ‘death sentence’ 

The Duchess is a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust and spoke at a Breast Cancer Foundation gala in 2019.

Her elder daughter Princess Beatrice is patron of the British Skin Foundation and has worked with skin cancer patients.

Last November, following her battle with breast cancer, the Duchess revealed she was scared about getting the disease ‘somewhere else’ and admitted to waking up in the night in a panic.

On the ITV show Loose Women, she highlighted the importance of attending mammogram appointments before admitting she was worried about the future.

‘And then of course you start four in the morning syndrome,’ she told Christine Lampard, Coleen Nolan, and Brenda Edwards on the pre-recorded one-off special.

‘You know that moment when you suddenly wake up and go ‘oh I’m sure I’ve got cancer somewhere else… I’m going to go and ring my doctor’.’ 

The 65-year-old (seen at Claridge’s Hotel in 2022) was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2023 before receiving a skin cancer diagnosis just months after

‘I’m getting over that but it’s only been a few months since I’ve had the operation, so I’m just beginning to sit up straight.’

The Duchess went public with her battle against breast cancer in June 2023, and had single mastectomy last year in her bid to beat the disease.

After having a reconstruction on her left breast, she went on morning television where she joked that she ‘kind of likes them’.

Showing a grand sense of humour, Sarah told Good Morning Britain presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls in December that she had named her left breast ‘Derek’.

Her cancer journey began when a routine test first detected something was seriously wrong before the Coronation.

Sarah attended an appointment in London for a mammogram. Rather than being given the all-clear, as expected, the technician explained that a ‘shadow’ could be seen in the breast.

Given the size of the area, a lumpectomy was ruled out and Sarah was strongly advised to go ahead with a single mastectomy, which would eradicate the shadow of cancerous cells across the breast.

Sarah was said to be devastated but determined to press ahead with a mastectomy as soon as possible, telling friends she had ‘no choice’ but to go through with the operation. 

Sarah is set to visit a cancer ward with her daughters Princess Beatrice, left, and Princess Eugenie, right, on Wednesday (seen together at The Anti Slavery Collective’s 2023 winter gala)

She had undergone a gruelling eight-hour operation at King Edward VII Hospital in June following her diagnosis with breast cancer and revealed the moment she knew doctors had found something during her mammogram.

‘I could see they moved very quickly,’ she said. ‘They said ‘Well we’ll just do another one’ then ‘Oh we’ll just do this’ and I was saying ‘No no but you haven’t found anything have you? No I’m fine aren’t I?’.’

‘It was like a splat. It was like someone had gone [gestures a splatting action] like that and it was better to have it removed.’

Since the operation, Sarah has exuded positivity and encouraged others to get checked – especially if they are scared.

She said: ‘For anyone who is thinking ‘I can’t possibly do it’ because they might find something, the sooner they do find something and remove it, and if they have to remove it as a lumpectomy or a mastectomy or whatever they have to do, it’s okay you’ve got this.

‘And it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be terrified. It’s okay to say ‘I really am terrified’, but together we can be strong to get through it.’

Just months after being treated for breast cancer, Sarah revealed that she was diagnosed with skin cancer.

Despite undergoing a double health scare, Sarah has continued to discuss matters important to her and attend public outings.

Last week, she joined the Royal Family’s Easter service celebrations alongside her ex-husband Prince Andrew.

Sarah Ferguson, known widely by the nickname Fergie ‘joined’ her daughters Eugenie and Beatrice for the traditional Easter Matins service in the 15th century Windsor chapel in Berkshire last Sunday.

The former royal arrived with Princess Anne, 74, and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, 70, and was filmed beaming and waving to crowds before entering the church.

Later, Fergie and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, were snapped walking with their arms around each other – a public display of fondness that shows how Fergie is clearly still seen as a core member of the institution.

Despite separating from Andrew 33 years ago and officially divorcing four years after that, Fergie has been welcomed back into the fold in recent years; she joined the family’s famous Christmas Day walkabout in 2023 for the first time since 1992.