Genuine question: do you think Sarah Ferguson knows any royal secrets at this point? I’m sure her ex-husband knows plenty of secrets and I’m sure Sarah has plenty of her own secrets. But I don’t buy that she has much insider knowledge about what’s happening in the Windsor clan. It feels like that kind of gossip is kept from her on purpose, because she’s such a gossip, because she regularly gives interviews and they don’t know what will spill out. I’m making it sound like Fergie has no impulse control, but mostly she just talks too much and everyone knows that about her. I bring this up because Fergie is on the cover of Hello Magazine and she gave an interview to promote her romance novel, A Woman of Intrigue. She ended up talking about the Windsors, obviously.

In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, the Duchess – who is about to publish the paperback version of A Woman of Intrigue, her second work of historical fiction for Mills & Boon – reveals how “family unity is key” to getting through the tough times.

Last summer, Sarah, 64, was diagnosed with breast cancer during a routine mammogram, undergoing a single mastectomy; six months later, she was found to have malignant melanoma. Now, although she has been told by her doctors that she shouldn’t use the phrase “cancer-free” and is having regular check-ups for any recurrence, the outlook is positive.

Her diagnoses were sadly echoed by the news earlier this year that King Charles is also being treated for cancer, which was found after his routine prostate operation, while the Princess of Wales is also undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment.

Sarah said: “I think the key is that you don’t have to be in anyone’s face – the odd note, the odd: ‘Hello, we’re all here.’ I was so impressed that the King became patron of Cancer Research UK; it’s such an amazing move. And I think the Princess of Wales was so brave with that video [in which Kate made her diagnosis public]. I think family unity is key. I love that the royal family are all supporting each other and carry on.”

The mother-of-two has also always counted on her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie for support.

“I have the most exceptional family and an extraordinarily great team,” she said. “I have an enormous ability to turn to joy.”

[From Hello]

She’s talking about people she likely has only seen once or twice in the past year. She saw Charles on Easter Sunday and over the Christmas holiday. She probably last saw Kate over Christmas too. My point is that she’s talking about Charles and Kate like someone who is in the dark, like everyone else. She either doesn’t have any insider information, or she was finally able to NOT gossip about them. Which brings up another question for me – do you think most of the family is in the dark about whatever is happening with Kate too? That seems to be why there is this disconnect with how “the family” has treated Kate’s absence too – they don’t know what the hell is going on either.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Hello.