Sarah Ferguson is First Royal Family Member to Join TikTok

Royal Family Joins TikTok.

On Wednesday, October 16, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, revealed her new TikTok handle (@sarahtheduchess) by sharing a touching message about her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023.

In the video, Ferguson is wearing a denim jacket over an aqua blue shirt and sitting outside while facing the camera. The video says: “How I felt when I was diagnosed with breast cancer ❤️‍🩹” at the top, prompting the Duchess of York to speak about her experience with the disease.

“In the depths of fear,” Ferguson begins the video. 'It took me 40 minutes to drive from the Royal Free Hospital to the Edwardian Seventh Hospital. I couldn't speak. Not being able to speak is a very interesting thing for me. I couldn't express myself, I just shut down.”

“I went back to being a little girl. Because that's the way I was used to doing things, that's what I could do, that's what I was taught to do”.

“Only now can I be proud of my scars. They are really important to me.”

The royal further said, “I never thought that cancer would free me from the shackles of my heart.”

“Being able to talk about what it feels like to seek home, to surrender, and to realize that everything is going to be okay, right now, in this moment,” she added, “allows me to find joy and not worry so much.”

In June 2023, the Duchess of York announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Sarah, the Duchess of York has recently been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, which was discovered during a routine mammography screening,” the Duchess's representative told People at the time. “She was advised that she would need to undergo surgery, which she did successfully."

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In a September 2023 episode of her podcast Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah, Ferguson opened up about her diagnosis and how it helped her stop comparing herself to the late Princess Diana .

“There are extraordinary moments ...... even what this mastectomy has done for me,” Ferguson said at the time. 'Is it necessary to have a body part cut off in order to wake up? Not because I saw death, but to wake up to stop worrying, to stop self-loathing, to stop self-doubt, to stop liking myself. Honestly, I feel very lucky.” [Seven months after her breast cancer diagnosis, Ferguson was diagnosed with skin cancer. [This summer, after being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, she was diagnosed with a second cancer within a year. The melanoma was only discovered because my dermatologist was so vigilant,” the author of A Most Intriguing Lady wrote on Instagram the day after revealing her second cancer diagnosis.

“Naturally, another cancer diagnosis was a shock, but I am fine and grateful for the many messages of love and support,” she continued at the time.

“I think my experience underscores the importance of checking moles for size, shape, color, texture, and the appearance of new moles, which may be signs of melanoma.