Princess Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Beatrice at a charity event in New York City in 2015.Photo:Janette Pellegrini/Getty
Janette Pellegrini/Getty
Sarah Fergusonis opening up about the important wayPrincess BeatriceandPrincess Eugeniemarked milestone birthdays.
On Sunday, a representative for the Duchess of York, who is popularly known as Fergie, confirmed to PEOPLE that she wasrecently diagnosedwith an early form of breast cancer and had a successful surgery. The latest episode of her podcastTea Talks with the Duchess and Sarahwas released shortly after the news broke, where Fergie revealed that her daughters Beatrice, 34, and Eugenie, 33, had their 18th birthdays at hospital units dedicated to teenage cancer.
The author and podcaster has supported the U.K. charity Teenage Cancer Trust since its establishment in 1990 and opened its first unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital. The Duchess’ daughters, who she shares with ex-husbandPrince Andrew, joined her as honorary patrons when they grew up.
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson visit a Teenage Cancer Trust unit in London.Ian West/PA Images
Ian West/PA Images
Elsewhere in the episode, Fergie praised her daughters for how open they are about the challenges they have faced. Princess Beatrice has spoken aboutstruggling with dyslexiain childhood, while Princess Eugenie has been vocal about herscoliosis diagnosisand having life-changing spinal surgery at age 12.
“My girls are incredible. It’s both private and public, right? They work very, very hard publicly. They work very, very hard privately. They are mothers and the work-life balance that they are getting is extraordinary,” she told co-host Sarah Thomson. “They just do it. They just do it in a very, very real way. And I’m so proud of them.”
Princess Eugenie and Sarah Ferguson visit a Teenage Cancer Trust unit in London.Peter Byrne/PA Images
Peter Byrne/PA Images
Princess Beatrice shares 1-year-old daughterSiennawith husbandEdoardo Mapelli Mozzi, while Princess Eugenie shares sonsAugust, 2, andErnest, almost 1 month, with husbandJack Brooksbank. Both royals balance motherhood withprofessional careers; Beatrice is a Vice President of Partnerships & Strategy for software company Afiniti while Eugenie is a director at London art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
Celebrating her daughters and the causes they support, Fergie said, “Beatrice literally goes out there and fights for dyslexia. She talks, actually, interestingly enough, she publicly talks about how she had special needs at school and how she has dyslexia. But then also, for example, Eugenie has 12-inch metal rods down her back. She has scoliosis of the spine and she talks publicly about it, openly about how important it is to de-stigmatize the scar.”
“Which she did beautifully at her wedding,” Thomson said, referencing Princess Eugenie’s backless wedding gown that showed off herscoliosis surgery scarwhen she tied the knot in 2018.
“She did. And so many other people with scoliosis now wear backless dresses to show that they have a scar, a badge of office… and Beatrice and Eugenie and I talk very, very, very strongly about really championing what we believe. Beatrice and Eugenie are ambassadors for Teenage Cancer. They do so much work — unseen and unheard. They are on the global stage. I think they are incredible. I always said that no one wants to see a grumpy princess. And when they go on the stage, they really are out there,” the Duchess added.
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Cracking a joke about the recognition of the royal platform and the roles the princesses were born into, Thomson said, “It’s not even the stage, is it? They can wander down the road to get a pint of milk and they’re there.”
“Absolutely. They hold themselves with such propriety and they really are extraordinary examples of the late Queen’s values,” Fergie said of the late Queen Elizabeth. “And loyal now to the King, and the wonderful Prince of Wales. And going forward, you know, they’re huge advocates.”
Thomson complimented her co-host for raising “such fantastic girls,” and the Duchess said the same for her sons — before asking for some honest advice!
Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, August Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie.Princess Eugenie/Instagram; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
Princess Eugenie/Instagram; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
“Sarah, just quickly, I need real tips from you. Because Augie’s now got a little brother. How do you manage with these boys? It’s a lot,” she joked of her familyexpanding with grandsons. On June 5, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Eugenie and Jack welcomed theirsecond son— Ernest George Ronnie — on May 30.
While recently speaking toPEOPLEabout her latest historical fiction novelA Most Intriguing Lady, Fergie said she cherished everything about being a grandmother.
“One, I’m really proud of my girls. Two, I have very good grandchildren,” said the Duchess, who is popularly known as Fergie. “They just follow me around like Peter Pan. I’m ‘Super Gran Pan.’ Whenever they see me, they laugh. They think I’m very funny. August is teaching me about trains. My girls had Barbie dolls,” she affectionately added.
source: people.com
