Earlier this month, Princess Beatrice said that her mother Sarah Ferguson had been given the all-clear following a skin cancer diagnosis in January. This week, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew made her return to the red carpet for a series of galas at Cannes. On Thursday night, she attended the 2024 amFAR Gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, where she told People about how the royal family have been supporting each other through their unprecedented series of health challenges.
“I think family unity is key… I think the key to life is that we all support each other,” she said. “And also forgiveness is a great thing. I think forgiveness of yourself, and forgiveness of others.”
The year since the coronation of King Charles III has included a new level of publicity over royal health, beginning with Ferguson’s June 2023 surgery, after a routine mammogram identified breast cancer. In January, a subsequent announcement that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer was followed by disclosures from the king and Kate Middleton that they were both being treated for unspecified forms of cancer. The king took a break from his public duties but has since returned to a near-regular schedule. Kate will stay away from public engagements until she is cleared by a doctor, according to a recent comment by her spokesperson.
In the aftermath of Kate’s diagnosis, Ferguson praised her in a statement shared to social media. “As someone who has faced their own battles with cancer in recent months, I am full of admiration for the way she has spoken publicly about her diagnosis and know it will do a tremendous amount of good to raise awareness,” it read.
Ferguson told People about her recovery and her reasons for disclosing her cancer publicly. “This evening I am doing very well. I think that we’ve managed to get cancer in the right place rather than cancer ruling me. I’ve put cancer in the corner,” she said. “I think you always have to be aware. I think it’s great to get checked for breast cancer [and] melanoma. I think you just have to be very candid about it… I think a lot of people get very frightened to talk about these things,” the Duchess of York continued. “I’m very happy with my mastectomy and my breasts and just to talk about it.”
The 64-year-old Ferguson made her first Cannes red carpet appearance at Wednesday’s Knights of Charity gala. According to Hello! she wore an emerald green beaded and sequined gown by Vivienna Lorikeet, and a gold bangle engraved with the name “Eugenie,” for her daughter, Princess Eugenie.