Princess Beatrice Sarah Ferguson posing together

Sarah Ferguson reveals pride at daughter Princess Beatrice's 'fight' to be heard

The Duchess of York opened up about her daughter on her Tea Talks podcast

Wellness Editor

June 27, 2023Jun 27, 2023, 5:25 AM GMT+1

Sarah Ferguson bravely opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis in the latest episode of her Tea Talks podcast, sharing that she hopes to raise awareness of the importance of mammograms by being open about her own illness.

The aim to raise awareness of health struggles is a passion she has passed on to her daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, both of whom she took to cancer wards on their eighteenth birthdays to ensure they were aware of the struggles that others face.

The Duchess of York went on to speak about how her daughters have fought their own health battles and work tirelessly to raise awareness of the issues they have each faced.

Sarah Ferguson posing with princess beatrice and princess eugenie — Sarah Ferguson with her two daughters at the coronation

"Beatrice literally goes out there and fights for dyslexia," Fergie said, before adding: "She talks publicly about how she had special needs at school."

READ: Princess Beatrice says having dyslexia is a 'gift' and any of her future children would be 'lucky' to have it

Moving on to refer to Princess Eugenie, Sarah added about her younger daughter's scoliosis: "Eugenie has 12-inch metal rods down her back, and she talks publicly and even at Chelsea Flower Show, she talked openly about how important it is to destigmatise the scar."

Princess Eugenie has a scar from back surgery

Referring to how the royal wore a backless dress to her wedding, which proudly displayed her scar, Sarah added: "So many other people with scoliosis wear backless dresses now."

MOST READ: Sarah Ferguson reveals she has undergone a mastectomy after nearly missing mammogram appointment

On the subject of standing up for their beliefs, Sarah said of her girls: "Beatrice, Eugenie and I talk really strongly about championing what we believe. They are on the global stage, I think they're incredible, I always tell them nobody wants to see a grumpy princess."

Beatrice and Eugenie are expected to be among the royals at the coronation — Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie use their voices to raise awareness of causes close to their hearts

Much of the podcast episode focused on the Duchess' cancer diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy. “Tomorrow I’m going in for a mastectomy," she said matter of factly, before adding: "I want every single person who is listening to this podcast to go get checked, go get screened, and go do it."

READ: Sarah Ferguson thanks fans after outpouring of support amid breast cancer diagnosis

She also admitted before getting her screening she wasn’t about to go, and it was her sister that forced her to go. “Don’t wait,” she warned.

How to check your breasts

According to CoppaFeel, the key to checking your breasts is knowing what feels normal to you. You spend more time with your body than anybody else, so you're the person most likely to notice when something doesn't feel quite right.

Make getting to know your breasts part of your normal routine - touch them when you're in the shower, when you're moisturising or when you're getting dressed. When you know what your breasts feel like 'normally', you'll notice any changes, such as if areas feel thicker, if a lump has appeared or if you see a sudden change in size or shape.

While it's normal for your breasts to feel painful around your period, if you're feeling a different kind of pain in your breasts, it's important to get it checked out.

Look out for changes in your skin, such as dimpling or puckering, or unexplained rashes or redness.

Keep an eye on your nipples too. Check if they look pulled in or have moved position or changed shape, or if any crusting or liquid is coming out.

When you're checking your breasts, check everywhere there's breast tissue - right up to your collarbone and under your armpits, where swelling can happen.

CoppaFeel suggests checking your breasts once a month. If you notice anything that doesn't feel normal to you, monitor it for a week and make an appointment with your doctor if it persists.

Check out CoppaFeel's information on how to check your breasts here.

The Duchess was also very grateful for the diagnosis. “I taking this as a gift to make real changes for myself and to nurture myself and stop trying to fix everyone else.”

She shared her plans for the future, explaining: "I'm going to get super fit, super strong, really understand what it was that caused this to come as a shadow, look at it straight on," before revealing the milestones she wants to achieve in the coming years.

READ: Everything you need to know about the King Edward VII Hospital where Sarah Ferguson had surgery

"I want to go to mountains and meadows, to have a sense of adventure with nature and now is my chance. I'm going to go to Austria, or Scotland or Wales and climb mountains."

We're sending positive vibes to Duchess Sarah!

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