Sarah Ferguson attends the Red Cross Charity Event on November 9 in Rome.Photo:Daniele Venturelli/Getty
Daniele Venturelli/Getty
Sarah Fergusonis voicing her joy this Thanksgiving season.
The Duchess of York, who is popularly known as Fergie, adoptedSandy and Muickafter the late monarch died in September 2022 at age 96. She also shares five Norfolk terriers with her ex-husband,Prince Andrew.
“It is a perfect time to take a stroll, sip a cup of tea… or perhaps, to write something cosy, mysterious, and new. This author is sharpening her pen this autumn and feeling thankful for all of the little things,” continued the writer, who most recently published the historical fiction novel,A Most Intriguing Lady,in March.
Queen Elizabeth II of England at Balmoral Castle with one of her Corgis, 28th September 1952.Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Last year,PEOPLE confirmedthat Prince Andrew and Fergie, who divorced in 1996 after a decade of marriage but remain on friendly terms, inherited the Queen’s corgis upon her death last September. The dogs had been a gift to the Queen from the Duke and Duchess of York and their daughters,Princess BeatriceandPrincess Eugenie.
A dog lover throughout life, Queen Elizabeth received her first corgi as a child in 1933 from her father, the futureKing George VI, andwent on to ownover 30 corgis and dachshund-corgi mixes known as “dorgis.”
While the sovereign opted tostop taking on new dogs in the mid-2010sbecause, according toThe Telegraph, she did not want to leave any dog behind when she died, her royal pack expanded when the Yorks gave her Muick and Sandy in 2021.
Prince Andrew greets aides and the corgis at Windsor Castle during the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth on September 19, 2022.Peter Nicholls - WPA Pool/Getty
Peter Nicholls - WPA Pool/Getty
In anemotional sceneon the day of her state funeral in September 2022, Sandy and Muick were brought out to watch the arrival of the Queen’s coffin to Windsor Castle ahead of the committal service at St. George’s Chapel. Showing a close bond, Prince Andrew went over to say hello.
Speaking to PEOPLE around the release ofA Most Intriguing Ladythis spring, Fergie joked that caring for the U.K.’s most famous petscame with some stress.
She added, “They’re with me a lot, and they think I’m very funny.”
Sarah Ferguson joins The View on March 3.Lou Rocco/ABC/Getty
Thecorgis were a comfortto the Duchess over the summer as she recovered from surgery following a breast cancer diagnosis.
In late June, a representative for the Duchess of Yorktold PEOPLEshe was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer at a prescheduled mammogram and underwent surgery.
Fergiekept fans updatedthrough the summer about her recovery, and recapped a therapeutic walk she took with the dogs in a July post onInstagram. “I took all 7 doggies yesterday to where Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth used to walk them. It was wonderful to have a moment to remember,” she wrote, sharing shots of flowers along an outdoor trail.
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The new initiative aligns with her longtime advocacy for cancer patients, survivors and research as patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust and the work of her foundation Sarah’s Trust.
It also hits close to home for Fergie, who has credited early detection as critical in her story andtells PEOPLEshe is grateful to advocate today.
“Early detection is absolutely key and might have saved my life. It [is] easy to forget to prioritize our health and proactive care. Had my dear sister not urged me to keep the appointment I almost canceled, I might not have caught my cancer early enough to be able to treat it as effectively,” the Duchess says.
source: people.com
