Sarah Ferguson reportedly endured 8 hour surgery and 4 days in intensive care after cancer diagnosis

The Duchess of York was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine mammogram, and she is now back home with her family in Windsor, Berkshire. Following the diagnosis, she underwent a successful single mastectomy at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London.

A friend of Sarah Ferguson told the Mail on Sunday that the surgery lasted eight hours and that she spent four days in intensive care, adding that she feels "lucky to be alive." They said: "The surgery was very long – getting on for eight hours – and it was more involved than people think.

“Today, the message she wants to get out is that she is very grateful to those who saved her and she feels very lucky to be alive. Specifically, the duchess wants to thank the two incredible surgeons Christina Choy and Stuart James who carried out the operation and all the medical team who worked tirelessly to help her."

Sarah Ferguson became part of the royal family in 1986, when she married the third son of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew. The pair divorced in 1996 after having two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.