Sad news has come from the Duchess of York's household camp.
In a statement posted by GB News, Sarah Ferguson shared that one of her staff members, Liz, passed away after a battle with cancer last year. Ferguson's statement said that Liz was a beautiful person who would be sorely missed by everyone who knew her at work and in her personal life.
To honor Liz's memory, the Duchess of York pledged to make a donation to St Vincent’s Curran Foundation, an organization that performs high level cancer research and provides innovative treatment to those in need.
The timing of Sarah's statement hints that Liz and her loved ones wanted time to grieve before making the occurrence of her death public. The unfortunate news is still disappointing to hear all the same; and Sarah Ferguson's kind gesture towards St Vincent's Curran Foundation is a reminder that the fight against cancer is never done.
A sobering update from the Duchess of York
The Duchess of York's public statement confirms that Liz passed away last year, but timing of the update shows that Sarah Ferguson's 2025 got off to a terrible start.
The Instagram post containing Ferguson's statement was published by Sarah's Trust, the non profit organization Sarah uses to pursue causes related to education, feeding disparities, and issues involving the homeless. It's unclear if Sarah's Trust will increase its support of organizations performing cancer research and treatment based on its post alone.
Unfortunately, Sarah's tragic loss is not the Royal Family's first interaction with cancer. The House of Windsor has been more fortunate than others, but the emotional toll associated with the disease was very real in 2024. Princess Catherine courageously fought against cancer throughout the year and gradually resumed her public duties by the end of it. However, Prince William revealed that 2024 was the hardest year of his life.
The Prince of Wales supported his wife during chemotherapy and made sure his children had a strong source of support to lean on. Lamentably, Catherine's case was not the only one William had to worry about. In a shocking turn, William's father, King Charles, received his own cancer diagnosis within the same few weeks as the Princess.
Watching his wife and father battle for their health took its toll on the future King as he managed a strenuous work schedule. Hopefully, the Prince of Wales and Sarah Ferguson can reconnect as the latter grieves over her lost friend.