Duchess of York tells new podcast how she was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram

Sarah, Duchess of York, has had surgery to treat breast cancer, it has been revealed.

The 63-year-old Duchess was diagnosed after a routine mammogram, it is understood.

The writer and businesswoman was released from hospital today and is back at Windsor Lodge with her family.

The ‘successful’ operation, according to friends, was performed at King Edward VII Hospital in Marylebone, central London.

Another said the mother-of-two’s prognosis was good because the cancer was caught early.

She is believed to have been hospitalized for several days this week.

A friend said, “It’s been a difficult time, but she is very grateful to the medical staff who performed the mammogram and the medical staff who have cared for her over the past few days. She is incredibly grateful.”

The Duchess will apparently be speaking about her diagnosis and treatment on an upcoming episode of her “Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah” podcast, airing tomorrow. That reports the Sun.

A spokesperson for the Duchess said: ‘Sarah, Duchess of York was recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected on a routine mammogram screening.

“She was told to have surgery, which was successful.

“The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her the prognosis is good. She is now recovering with her family.

The Duchess would like to express her immense gratitude to all the medical staff who have assisted her over the past few days.

“She is also immensely grateful to the staff involved in the mammogram that identified her disease, which was otherwise symptom-free, and believes her experience underscores the importance of regular screening.”

The 63-year-old Duchess of York shared an Instagram post on May 15 confirming the first episode of “Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah.”

She explained that it’s a “new weekly podcast about the highs and lows of everyday life” and that she would “capture some of the biggest and weirdest stories from around the world.”

In the show’s first episode, which came out last month, Fergie insisted she’s “really shy,” saying “too much trust” and “too many people.”

While her co-host Sarah Jane Thomson teased that she wanted to know more about her, the royals meanwhile said, “Do I have a boyfriend? No.’

And after her co-host asked, “Do you want one?” Fergie replied, “Yes.”

Her comments come after years of rumors that she might one day marry Prince Andrew.

Their unconventional relationship has now evolved into what Sarah describes as “the happiest divorced couple we know,” with the couple appearing to be spending more time together than they had in the decade they were actually married (when Andrew was often away on naval duty ).

They still share a house and live at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, the former ten-bedroom residence of the Queen Mother, although this cozy arrangement may soon come to an end as part of King Charles’s planned reshuffle of royal residences .

And the couple regularly vacations alongside their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, leading to sporadic speculation that since neither Sarah nor Andrew found a major romance later on, there’s always a possibility they might remarry one day.

These rumors gained momentum after the death of Andrew’s short-tempered father Prince Philip, who in his later years refused to accept even being in the same room as Sarah.

Asked directly on the ITV show Loose Women if a resurgence of romance was likely, Sarah brushed the subject aside. “Oh my god,” she replied to the show’s hosts, “you’re all fairytale, you’ve all got your wands out. Andrew and I remain steadfast, in the past we were co-parenting and now we are co-grandparents.”

A former courtier who has known Andrew for three decades comments: ‘They don’t have a big passionate romance – they have separate bedrooms in Royal Lodge – but it’s more about the deepest form of friendship. It’s a very unusual relationship for a divorced couple, especially to the outside world, but they are totally committed and would defend each other to the death.”

In another recent interview, Sarah described her relationship with Andrew as an achievement she was proud of. “We are separated from each other, not from each other. We are co-parents who support each other and believe that family is everything. I am proud of the work we have done together in raising our children and maintaining a strong family unit. Our keywords are communication, compromise and compassion.’

It’s an unorthodox arrangement, of which royal author Penny Junor notes: ‘It seems utterly bizarre, and who knows what their relationship really is. Sarah has not only stood silently by his side, she has even spoken out for him.’

Elsewhere on her first podcast, Fergie insisted she’s “actually really shy,” saying, “I play small to make myself really small to keep myself away from everyone.

“I’m afraid if I stick my head above the parapet that I’ll be shot in flames.

“I come from a very bruised place.”

The Duchess said that while she may come across as “a very courageous public figure… really, I’m deeply sensitive and I’m very sorry, and I’m very shy, which people don’t know.”

She said she came from “an incredibly brave” place, adding, “I’ve been running on the treadmill since I was 12.”

She later said, “I need a little more left brain to get a little more businesslike.

“Maybe I trust way too much and too many people.”

Meanwhile, she also revealed how she confronts people who try to take pictures of her without her noticing.

She described an encounter in the security line at Heathrow’s Terminal Four on a recent trip to Croatia, when she said fellow passengers “surreptitiously” pulled out their cameras.

She said, “So then I’ll go up and say, ‘Do you want a selfie?’ and they say, ‘no, no, I don’t know what you’re thinking’.

“And then you’re like, ‘oh sorry, how dare I assume you’d want a picture,’ when they really wanted a picture.”

In a post shared on Instagram announcing the news of her May 15 podcast, Fergie wrote, “Long-time friends and tea fans, author Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and Sarah Jane Thomson, entrepreneur and founder of First News, are getting to the bottom of the week’s talking points over a soothing cup of tea.

“They learn about themselves and each other and share their thoughts on some of the greatest and weirdest stories from around the world.

No topic is off the table. Not a single cookie remains uncovered.’

She went on to share the hashtag #SpillTheTea on the post.