Even the royal family isn’t immune to taking a moment at the dawn of a new calendar year to reminisce about the 365 days prior. For Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, that meant sharing an Instagram caption with musings about the “ups and downs” of 2023, a year that saw her publish a new novel, welcome a new grandchild, and embrace the reconstructed left breast she affectionately refers to as “Derek,” a result of surgery after her breast cancer diagnosis this year.
“I am 64 and just getting started,” she wrote alongside a snap of herself lounging on a bed in a grass green gown, staring resolutely into the middle distance.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Ferguson made a surprise appearance with the royal family on Christmas Day, participating in the crew’s traditional walk from their estate at Sandringham to church for the first time in three decades. She accompanied her disgraced ex-husband, Prince Andrew, as well as the couple’s daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. This is the second year that Andrew has rejoined the fold of Christmas festivities after the shock of allegations of sexual assault and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Andrew settled a lawsuit with accuser Virginia Giuffre out of court in early 2022, acknowledging in a statement that Giuffre had suffered as an “established victim of abuse,” though he did not admit culpability.)
Though Sarah and Andrew divorced in 1996, they still live together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor and remain close. Eugenie once called her parents “the best divorced couple I know.”
In her recap post, Ferguson also celebrated the sales of her latest historical romance novel (the late Queen Elizabeth was a fan of her prior work, according to Fergie), her new grandchild (Eugenie’s second son with Jack Brooksbank, Ernest), and the many, many people she met in her adventures as a royal.
“I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday celebrations today,” she wrote. “2023 hasn’t been without its ups and downs, trials, lessons, laughter, miracles and joy. I made the Sunday Times Top 5 bestseller list for my historical romance novel, A Most Intriguing Lady! I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I beat breast cancer and now I have got a Derek on my left. I have a new grandchild!!! I have had the pleasure of meeting some very inspiring people from around the world with beautiful stories to tell. I have discovered within myself that I, too, have more stories to tell. I am 64 and just getting started. I hope everyone takes time to reflect and to look forward with love and positivity. Happy New Year, #2024!”
Listen to Vanity Fair’s DYNASTY podcast now.