Andrew is ‘great man with great heart’ and I won’t let him down – Sarah

Sarah, Duchess of York, has said she “won’t let Andrew down” as she vowed to support him going forward.

The duchess gave an interview to The Sunday Times Magazine, alongside older sister Jane, and gave a glimpse into her relationships with the royal family as well as her battle with cancer.

It comes as the Duke of York is under scrutiny over his relationship with a Chinese businessman, known as H6, who has been banned from the UK over spying concerns.

Andrew said he “ceased all contact” with the accused businessman when concerns were first raised about him in a statement from his office on Friday.

Support

Speaking to The Sunday Times before the China revelations emerged, Sarah said: “I won’t let him down. He supports me as much as I support him. He’s supported me through thick and thin, not just marriage or divorce.”

She added: “I was totally and utterly in love with Andrew. I would do it all over again, 100 per cent.

“He’s the best, a great man with a great heart, and kind. Our wedding was the best day of my life. But I gave up my anonymity that day. I was able to because love conquers all. It’s still with us today.”

The 65-year-old also revealed how she was left to become a carer to her father when her sister moved to Australia in 1975. Their mother had moved to Argentina to marry polo player Hector Barrantes three years earlier.

“When Jane left for Australia, I became a carer for dad,” she told The Sunday Times.

“I was left to look after a sad man, which is sort of what I’m doing now.”

She spoke of her battle with illness, having been diagnosed with melanoma just months after discovering she had breast cancer.

“Jane insisted I get a mammogram; she saved my life,” the mother-of-two told the newspaper.

“I was sure I was going to die, then I looked up ‘mastectomy’ and faced it.”

Surgery

In July 2023, the Duchess of York went under the knife for an eight-hour mastectomy – but during the follow-up surgery, dermatologists had to remove several moles, finding one to be malignant melanoma.

Sarah and Jane’s father died of melanoma, and the duchess said the diagnosis was scary.

“When I got that diagnosis on New Year’s Eve 2023, I nearly fainted,” she said.

In a heartfelt plea, she urged people not to wait to be themselves.

“Otherwise I’ve got to live life, I’m lucky, it’s (cancer) freed me from the shackles of my heart. Before, I didn’t think it was okay to be myself. Don’t wait to get cancer to free yourself.”

Since becoming a grandmother in 2021, the Duchess of York said she now spends much of her time focusing on her three grandchildren.

“I’m a fun granny,” she said.

“Sienna (Princess Beatrice’s daughter) wanted a unicorn birthday party so I dressed a white pony as a unicorn. For the boys, August and Ernest (Princess Eugenie’s sons), I’m learning about trains.”

Writing

The Duchess of York has written dozens of children’s books, the latest being Flora and Fern: Wonder in the Woods, a tale of Christmas and friendship featuring woodland creatures.

She told of her close relationship with the late Queen, and revealed she called Elizabeth “Mumma”.

“The Queen was much more my mother than my mother was. She never let me down, even if I let her down. Even through the darkest days, she never left me.”

She added: “The Queen never lost me. The best advice she gave me was the last thing she said to me, ‘Sarah, remember that yourself is good enough.’ It makes me cry.”