United Kingdom, Jan. 22 -- Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York has declared she's "in good spirits" following the "shock" of being diagnosed with skin cancer.

The 64-year-old author - who has daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie with ex-husband Prince Andrew - had several moles on her body removed and tests found one to be a malignant melanoma with the diagnosis coming just six months after she was treated for breast cancer.

Sarah has now shared a personal message revealing she's been taking some time to herself as she recuperates. In a post on Instagram, she wrote: "I have been taking some time to myself as I have been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, my second cancer diagnosis within a year after I was diagno...