The King and Fergie have been supporting each other over their cancer battles, it can be revealed.
Charles and Sarah Ferguson have exchanged heartfelt letters with one another following their diagnoses of the cruel disease. The 75-year-old monarch was the first to reach out to the Duchess of York after she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
Charles wrote to Fergie, 64, again when shortly after Christmas she was dealt another devastating blow and diagnosed with skin cancer. The Duchess has since written to the King to express her best wishes and solidarity with the King after he was diagnosed with a form of cancer.
The monarch started treatment this week at a London hospital, with the King said to be “wholly positive” of his prognosis in the knowledge that treatments available are more highly specialised, pioneering and less invasive than cancer therapies of the past.
A source said: “The King and Sarah are incredibly fond of one another and now they have bonded over their respective cancer diagnosis with an exchange of letters. Cancer is a wicked disease that affects so many individuals and their families and it’s clear that extra support from loved ones and the extended cancer community can help immeasurably.”
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At a cancer charity fundraiser Fergie this week gave a keynote speech where she also shared a touching tribute to the King while thanking the charity for supporting her family. At The Breakers Hotel which hosted the Cancer Alliance of Help and Hope in Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday, she urged Charles to “keep fighting on” when she took to the stage.
The King and The Duchess of York attending a Polo match at Smiths Lawn, Windsor. 17th May 1987. (Mirrorpix)In her first public appearance since her second cancer diagnosis, she said: “I want to thank you all for your kindness in supporting my family members who are going through a hard time, and we wish everyone well, every family in the world, that has been diagnosed or who is going through a difficult time, we wish them well. And of course, my brother-in-law, we wish you well, keep fighting on.”
The Duchess added: “The cancer alliance is about hope, and there isn’t enough hope in the world. For anyone who’s suffering from low hope, for anyone who believes they can’t do this, they can, it’s absolute nonsense.”
The 75-year-old monarch is continuing to rest and recuperate at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk before he is expected to return to London for weekly treatments. He was admitted to hospital last month for an operation on an enlarged prostate. It was during his three-night stay at the London Clinic in Marylebone that his “secondary diagnosis” was established, Buckingham Palace said.
The King shocked the nation with his cancer diagnosis (PA)The Duchess had to undergo an eight-hour operation last July to remove one of her breasts after doctors discovered the disease in a routine mammogram which she nearly missed. Following the diagnosis, her dermatologist asked that several moles be removed and analysed. She was then dealt a further blow when doctors told her she was suffering from malignant melanoma - the most serious form of skin cancer - just days after spending Christmas with the King and extended royal family at Sandringham.
It marked a remarkable turnaround for Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, who still lives with the disgraced Duke of York despite being divorced for nearly 30 years after she was exiled from the royal family following her separation. Fergie said last week she had been supported by her daughters Princesses Beatrice, 35, and Eugenie, 34, allowing her to spend plenty of time with her grandchildren. She said: “They support me through thick and thin, not least my recent illness. We call each other ‘The Tripod’ because we prop each other up, come what may.”
A friend also told how the Duchess felt her second cancer diagnosis was “a lot to deal with” but she had been “buoyed” by messages of support from well-wishers. The Mirror last month revealed how the brave Duchess is planning to channel her energies into backing a national awareness campaign on the importance of checking potentially harmful moles.
Sarah, Duchess of York attending the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. (PA)
It's understood the King will receive "pioneering" cancer treatment (Getty Images)Friends said Fergie has vowed to turn “distress into a positive” after doctors told her she was suffering from malignant melanoma just six months after her breast cancer battle. Fergie’s friend Carolyn Cotterell, who she used to live with before her marriage to Prince Andrew in 1986, tragically died from skin cancer in 1999. The Duchess has tearfully discussed her friend’s tragic plight with her family previously and vowed to do more to raise awareness of the disease, a source said.
Her father, Major Ronald Ferguson, was also diagnosed with skin cancer just months before his death from a heart attack in March 2003. Fergie’s heartfelt message of support came a day before Queen Camilla gave an update on the King’s health during her first public engagement since Buckingham Palace announced the King was battling the disease. At an event in Salisbury Cathedral on Thursday evening, the Queen said: He’s doing extremely well under the circumstances, he’s very touched by all the letters and the messages the public have been sending from everywhere – that’s very cheering.”
Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for the Duchess of York did not comment.
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