Sarah Ferguson reveals sister Jane's heartfelt words to her ahead of breast cancer diagnosis

Sarah Ferguson recalled how her older sister urged her to attend her vital breast cancer screening in London ahead of her mastectomy

Sarah Ferguson reveals sister Jane's heartfelt words to her ahead of breast cancer diagnosis
(Image credit: Getty)

Sarah Ferguson has revealed that it was her sister Jane's insistence she gets a mammogram that led to her early breast cancer diagnosis. 


Sarah Ferguson has publicly thanked her older sister, Jane Ferguson, for insisting that she undergo her routine mammogram last month. 

Speaking on the latest episode of her Spotify podcast, the Duchess of York reflected candidly on her recent diagnosis of breast cancer with co-host Sarah Thomson. At the time of recording, the 63-year-old was preparing to undergo a single mastectomy the following day. It has since been confirmed that the surgery has taken place and that the prognosis is 'good'. 

Ferguson, who was married to Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996, began the podcast by revealing that she wished to focus her attention on cancer research and support services, specifically for teenagers, after her stepfather died of the disease. She also described how her father, Ronald Ferguson, had urged the public to get screened before he passed away from prostate cancer in 2003. 

Sarah Ferguson

Sarah Ferguson with her sister Jane

(Image credit: Getty)

Ferguson then explains how she came to have her own diagnosis of breast cancer, which was detected via a routine mammogram. 

The Her Heart for a Compass author, who lives in Windsor, said she hadn't initially felt like traveling to London for the screening but committed to going after a call with her sister, Jane. Phoning from her home in Australia, the 65-year-old said to Ferguson, "Go, I need you to go." 

"I normally do what she says because she gets so cranky," the royal admitted, before crediting her sister for being so persuasive with her. "She's right. Thank you, Jane." She added that her also cousin called her after the diagnosis to advise her to get checked on other things. 

"It's so important that you do talk about it," Ferguson added, before urging listeners of the podcast not to wait to get screened either. 

She went on to call her breast cancer diagnosis a 'real gift' that has motivated her to 'nurture' herself, vowing to 'get super fit' and 'super strong' and to really understand what caused the breast cancer in the first place. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.