Sarah Ferguson says her cancer diagnosis was "scary" for daughters Beatrice and Eugenie

She shared some inspiring words

Princess Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Princess Beatrice attend the wedding of Louis Buckworth and Chloe Delevingne at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge on September 7, 2007 in London, England.
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty)

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, recently shared that she had undergone surgery after a breast cancer diagnosis — and of course this wasn't an easy experience for her or for her family members.

Speaking on her podcast Tea Talks, the Duchess shared how her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie reacted to her difficult news.

"I think it's scary for any family member out there, you really start to look at your own demise. It's a wake-up call, and you think, how am I going to deal with this?" she said (via the Mirror).

She also shared some valuable wisdom which she has gathered following this experience.

"You cannot be complacent with yourself or life or how lucky you are," she said.

"It's really important that my father was right: the show must go on. But be mindful of each word you say, be gentle with yourself and people, and be very grateful."

In June, a spokesperson for Fergie said: "Sarah, Duchess of York was recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening.

"She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully.

"The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good."

While of course this experience was very difficult for Sarah, she also shared on her podcast how moved she was by the love and support she received following her news.

"The most beautiful, beautiful flowers have arrived. There's letters, there's cards, and it's just been an outpouring of kindness," she revealed.

"I know, and I'm here, and it's really amazing the love that I'm getting from the entire nation.

"I mean, it's just unbelievable. Just extraordinary. And it's not just the nation, but it's globally and people have been beyond, so yes… just blown away really.

"And that is something that has also completely given me strength to go forward because I won't let people down. Well, I won't let myself down."

These are beautiful words, and we're thrilled that Sarah is doing better now.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.