Sarah Ferguson Receives Good News Following Skin Cancer Diagnosis: 'She Is Very Relieved'

A friend tells PEOPLE the update is "the best news she could have" at this stage

Sarah Ferguson is "very relieved" after receiving promising news about her health.

The Duchess of York, 64, learned that her skin cancer, which was detected in January, has not spread.

The Duchess, who is popularly known as Fergie, was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer in June 2023, and doctors found a malignant melanoma during her reconstructive surgery. Fergie told friends that she had further surgery around the edges of the site of the mole where she had the skin cancer and her lymph nodes.

"Fortunately, they have turned out to be clear. This is the best news she could have on it at this stage,” a friend tells PEOPLE. She will have to attend checkups every 12 weeks.

"She is very relieved," the source adds.

Related: Prince Andrew Faces Backlash After Appearance at King Constantine of Greece's Memorial Service

This week, the Duchess of York will head to Melbourne, Australia for Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne, the inaugural international edition of Global Citizen NOW. Fergie is a co-chair of the summit dedicated to ending extreme poverty and will join ambassadors Hugh Jackman and Charlie Puth at the event.

As news of her latest cancer diagnosis broke in January, PEOPLE was told in a statement, “Following her diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer this summer, Sarah, Duchess of York has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma.”

According to the spokesperson, the Duchess of York had several moles removed and analyzed by a dermatologist while she was undergoing reconstructive surgery following her mastectomy, and one of the moles was identified as cancerous.

“The Duchess wants to thank the entire medical team which has supported her, particularly her dermatologist whose vigilance ensured the illness was detected when it was,” the representative said in January. “She believes her experience underlines the importance of checking the size, shape, color and texture and emergence of new moles that can be a sign of melanoma.”

Related: Sarah Ferguson Says She’s ‘Feeling Positive' from 'Support of My Family’ amid Skin Cancer Diagnosis

Following the skin cancer diagnosis, Fergie spent time at MAYRLIFE Clinic, a medical health resort in Altaussee, Austria. The second cancer diagnosis in “a matter of months has obviously been a shock and a blow,” a friend of Fergie’s exclusively told PEOPLE. But the Duchess is “very resilient and in good spirits,” the source said.

Last week, the Duchess of York joined members of the royal family at a Thanksgiving service for the late King Constantine. The memorial was held at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle to honor the last King of Greece, who died in January 2023 at age 82.

Fergie and her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, walked at the front of the group that included their daughter Princess Beatrice, their son-in-law Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall, while Queen Camilla drove up solo to St. George's Chapel.

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Prince Andrew, 64, was criticized by some on social media for appearing to lead the contingent, as he is no longer a working member of the royal family. In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth, stripped her second son of his military titles and patronages after he attempted to have Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. The Duke of York has denied any wrongdoing and settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed amount in February 2022.

Over the weekend, the Duchess of York was spotted at the Bahrain Grand Prix with her daughter Princess Eugenie.

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