Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Had Surgery for Breast Cancer

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ms. Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, had a single mastectomy after a routine mammogram. A spokesperson said her prognosis was good.

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram. | Kate Green/Getty Images
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and ex-wife of Prince Andrew, the disgraced son of Queen Elizabeth II, underwent a single mastectomy after a breast cancer diagnosis, she said during an episode of her podcast that was released Monday.

She received the diagnosis after a routine mammogram, she said during the episode of “Tea Talks With the Duchess & Sarah,” a new weekly podcast that she hosts with the entrepreneur Sarah Thomson. Ms. Ferguson did not say when the operation occurred but noted that the podcast was being recorded the day before it was to take place. Ms. Ferguson displayed no symptoms and did not find a lump, according to the podcast.

“It’s very important that I speak about it,” said Ms. Ferguson, 63, noting that both her father and stepfather died from cancer.

“I’m telling people out there because I want every person listening to this podcast to get checked,” she said. » | Claire Moses, Reporting from London | Monday, June 26, 2023

Turkish Court Hearing in Duchess of York Secret Filming Case

BBC: A hearing has taken place in Turkey in a court case in which the Duchess of York has been accused over the secret filming of orphans for a documentary.

Sarah Ferguson is being defended by a Turkish legal team but has declined to go to Ankara for the trial.

She is accused of violating the privacy of children during the filming for ITV.

The duchess has previously apologised for any offence, but says she stands by the 2008 documentary's conclusion that ill-treatment was taking place.

If found guilty, she could be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.

BBC correspondent Jonathan Head says the duchess has made it clear she will not return to Turkey and British officials have insisted there is no possibility of her being extradited. » | Friday, May 04, 2012

Duchess of York Charged by Turkish Authorities over Orphanage Film

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Duchess of York is facing the possibility of more than 20 years in jail after she was charged for secretly filming children in Turkish orphanages.

Turkish authorities have asked the British government to help obtain evidence to prosecute the Duchess over allegations that she breached the privacy of children living in state-run institutions.

The Turkish government accused the Duchess of trying to smear the country’s image three years ago with an investigative television report about conditions in its orphanages.

On Thursday, the office of Turkey’s chief prosecutor announced that it was pressing charges against the Duchess for “violating the privacy” of five children.

If found guilty, the Duchess, 52, could face between seven and a half years and 22 and a half years in prison.

The charge was issued in the Duchess’s absence and accuses her of prying into the private lives of youngsters at the Saray orphanage near Ankara, where more than 700 disabled children are housed. » | Murray Wardrop | Thursday, January 12, 2012

Good Morning America: Sarah Ferguson on ‘Oprah,’ Speaks Out On Royal Wedding Snub

Related »

Royal Wedding: Sarah, Duchess of York Speaks of 'Difficult' Snub
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sarah, Duchess of York has spoken publicly for the first time about being snubbed by the Royal Family over the guest list to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.


The Duchess, who was a close friend of Prince William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, told a US talk show that it had been “difficult” not to have been invited.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said that she had gone to Thailand while the wedding was taking place.

Her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, attended the Westminster Abbey service with their father, the Duke of York.

The two princesses attracted lively discussion in fashion forums for their striking choice of hats by the designer Philip Treacy.

The Duchess, who is to have her own show on Winfrey’s cable channel, is understood to have turned down a slew of lucrative offers from US television channels to offer commentary on the day of the wedding. » | John Bingham | Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Duchess Of York Close To Bankruptcy
SKY NEWS: The Duchess of York is reported to be close to bankruptcy.

The Duchess of York Faces Bankruptcy Over Her £5m Debts
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Duchess of York’s debts have risen to almost £5 million, causing alarm in the Royal family, which now fears her best option is bankruptcy.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that at least one senior financial adviser to Buckingham Palace has recommended voluntary bankruptcy even though this would cause acute embarrassment to the Queen, the Duke of York and others.

The Queen is said to be “deeply concerned” by the debts, which are more than twice as large as previously thought.

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has even been briefed on the issue and the problem is believed to have been discussed recently during one of his weekly private audiences with the Queen.

No senior member of the Royal family has ever been declared bankrupt, but this course of action is increasingly likely.

“One key adviser believes the right thing is for the Duchess of York to go bankrupt. He says it will be a week-long wonder, then everyone will say, 'It’s not altogether surprising’ and then they will forget about it,” a senior royal source said.

However, the Duke of York, who along with his private office is masterminding the “rescue plan”, knows that the Duchess is desperately keen to avoid bankruptcy. Such a move would also be particularly embarrassing for him because he is the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Development. >>> Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter | Saturday, August 07, 2010

Turkey 'Seeks Duchess of York for Questioning over TV Documentary'
TIMES ONLINE: The Duchess of York faces questioning, and possible arrest and extradition to Turkey over allegations that she and her daughter Eugenie broke privacy laws by filming undercover in Turkish institutions for the disabled.

The Turkish government is believed to have lodged an official request for the British police to help it to secure evidence that the Duchess broke the country's strict privacy laws.

The Metropolitan Police and the Home Office are thought to be discussing the request, which arrived through the formal procedure for Mutual Legal Assistance between different countries.

Under the arrangement, British detectives would question the Duchess and relay their findings to their Turkish counterparts, who could then request further action such as her arrest and extradition.

Neither the Home Office nor the Met would comment on the record about Turkey's request this morning. But a Home Office source told The Sun newspaper last night: "We have received a request from the Turkish government for an MLA in relation to the Duchess of York. We are now awaiting the necessary paperwork but it seems likely the request will be granted."

The row concerns an episode of ITV1's Tonight programme, filmed last September and broadcast two months later, in which the Duchess and her younger daughter donned wigs and headscarves to film the cruel and spartan conditions endured by disabled women and children in two state institutions.

Eugenie wept after she saw children left tied to their beds in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu Centre for the Care of Disabled Children, where 700 youngsters are housed. The Duchess reported seeing faeces left uncleared near a bed holding two women at the Saray Rehabilitation Centre in Ankara.

Chris Rogers, an ITN correspondent who accompanied the Duchess, described what they had seen as "profoundly shocking". He reported seeing children "dressed in bedclothes and rags, some had shaven heads - which gave them the appearance of convicts rather than patients. In every corner, a child showed signs of distress, with many exhibiting the awful violent rocking of the institutionalised." >>> Jenny Booth | Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Turkey Criticises British Film on Turkish Orphanages
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: Turkey said on Friday a British television documentary about its orphanages using Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, in an undercover role could harm the welfare of the children involved.

"The way in which the disguised Duchess of York was used to shoot scenes with a hidden camera ... was done without taking into consideration the adverse effects of such unprepared visits on the intellectual and emotional development of these children," Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said.

He made the comments about the ITV documentary, the first part of which aired this week, at a joint news conference with Foreign Secretary David Miliband, where Turkey's bid to join the European Union was relegated to a minor role.

Babacan said Turkey had launched an inquiry into the allegations made in the documentary and anyone responsible for misconduct would be charged.

But he said Turkey regretted the approach used by the makers of the programme, which he said focussed on a rehabilitation centre for mentally handicapped children.

The documentary follows Ferguson, the former wife of Queen Elizabeth's second son, as she visits state orphanages in Turkey and Romania. She poses as a potential charitable donor and secret cameras follow her.

On her visits, Ferguson saw evidence of children being tied to beds and disabled children generally neglected by overworked staff. >>> Reuters / By Adrian Croft | November 7, 2008

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