Sarah, Duchess of York, a beacon of resilience, has faced relentless challenges and criticism during more than 35 years in the harsh glare of the media. Yet, she's unwavering in her dedication to kindness and helping others — a commitment that shone through when she visited Manchester to become patron of Prevent Breast Cancer, followed by a stroll on Coronation Street's iconic set.
The Duchess was roped into the charity by Coronation Street's Sally Dynevor (Sally Metcalfe) during a backstage chat at ITV's Loose Women. Moved by Sally's plea to help secure the future of the National Breast Imaging Academy with a final fundraising effort, Sarah's response was instinctive: "I had to help!"
"I told Sally, ‘I’m coming to Manchester’. We’ll get to work and help you raise the last £600,000. Every little bit helps and that’s why everyone doing all this work here is so important. Fifty seven thousand people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and I am very proud, and excited, to be part of the National Breast Imaging Academy."
Her visit, aligning with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, included a tour of the centre alongside Sally and Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), another star from the soap.
Reflecting on the moment she approached Sarah about the charity, Sally told OK!: “It was just an off-the-cuff remark to her because Sarah is very warm and I suddenly thought, ‘I need to tell her what we’re doing up here in Manchester because it’s so important and she’s been through breast cancer, so she understands completely’. I told her about what we’re raising the money for and she said, ‘I’ll help you raise it’. And I instantly knew she was going to do it.”
Cancer has cruelly touched the Royal Family this year, with both the King and the Princess of Wales being diagnosed and treated for their illnesses. Since the King became the Patron of Cancer Research UK in April, and with the Princess sharing her personal experiences, Sarah is convinced that Queen Elizabeth II would have been incredibly proud of them.
Reflecting on the Queen's legacy, the Duchess remarked: "She really was the most iconic and legendary woman," adding, "Her Late Majesty was a great believer in kindness and was a leader of understanding and a leader of goodness. I think having His Majesty and the Princess of Wales out there as ambassadors is so important and I am just so incredibly pleased that her value system, her integrity and what she stood for in this country are being upheld."
The Duchess has had her fair share of health scares, battling breast and skin cancer alongside the pain of knowing her father – Major Ronald Ferguson – also contended with two cancer diagnoses in his lifetime. Her charitable efforts, particularly as patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust since 1990, have been inspired by these battles.
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Nonetheless, Sarah insists that facing cancer was not the toughest obstacle she's had to face. Keen on being candid about her struggles, she said, "I think the whole journey of my life has been very interesting. My mum chose to live in Argentina when I was 11 years old and that must have been very difficult for the little girl to be left. So I think that was a really huge trauma, and from then on, it’s been one of getting to know who Sarah was and trying to get her out."
She reflected further, admitting, "I often say, does it take someone to be scarred with the mastectomy in order to find your true self? We all go through self-doubt, self-hatred, but I think that I’ve always met adversity in a very cerebral way – the only one which really foxed me was cancer because I could not comprehend the word. I couldn’t comprehend the diagnosis. I don’t think it was the most challenging, but I think it was certainly the one that had to use an awful lot more understanding."
The Duchess has long been a passionate supporter of her charities and organisations, but it seems she's now shifting focus to embrace her true self. On her Tea Talks podcast with Sarah Thomson, she opened up about how her battle with illness has led her to start "fighting for Sarah" and putting herself first.
"My mindset going forward is to not be self-full but to be self-love," she declared. "If you don’t keep your boundaries for yourself, who is going to do it for you? If you don’t keep your authentic truth, who is going to do it for you? We need to have more self-love and have the boundaries to take a moment to ourselves."
Her vibrant energy and enthusiasm are unmistakable, as she effortlessly engages with everyone, cracks jokes on the fly, and even tries her hand at pulling a pint in Coronation Street’s iconic Rovers Return pub.
Channeling her inner Mancunian, she playfully asked Sally, "What will you have, lass? " The visit also included a poignant moment as they honoured the late Queen, who had visited the set for the show's 60th anniversary in 2021. Raising a glass, the Duchess said: "We ought to drink a pint to my wonderful mother-in-law. She really loved her time here."
The day also arrived just before her significant 65th birthday on 15 October, an occasion that holds a special resonance this time. "This birthday is something that I’m really going to enjoy," Sarah revealed.
"I haven’t planned anything but I’m really going to enjoy it. It’s not because I’m so lucky to have made it. It’s because 65 years on this planet is quite something."
"I’m still here. I beat my mum. Mum died at 62. I miss Diana [the late Princess of Wales], she’s not here, my best friend, Carolyn, she’s not here. And so I’m here and I want to do something, but I don’t know what to do yet... all I know is I don’t want it planned. It is a milestone but I don’t look at it like I look at it. My achievement is to be even more humble than I was yesterday, to be a better person than I was yesterday and to be kinder and to show more joy."
Adding to the Duchess's joy, the delightful news that Princess Beatrice is expecting her second child with husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was recently shared. She's evidently overflowing with joy as she describes how she interacts with her two daughters' children.
"It’s such a blessing to see the family growing," she shared with us. "To know that I’m so proud of my girls being really fabulous mothers is such a huge tonic in my life, as is having beautiful grandchildren, who are all doing so well. I’ve learned about trains and because August and Ernest love playing with trains – but I can play Barbies with Sienna just like I used to with the girls – I’m still learning trains, though, because boys are so different!".
