It was 22 years ago! At just 12 years old, Princess Eugenie underwent surgery for scoliosis. Although she didn’t talk about it for many years, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson now wants to speak out and no longer hide his scar. On Saturday, June 29, 2024, she shared on Instagram: “My mother detected my scoliosis very early and I was fortunate to get the help I needed at the age of 12. I thank her very much for that and I also thank her for the confidence she gave me to be proud of my scar.”.
Finally, the 34-year-old added: “She eliminated all the stigma surrounding scoliosis by confidently showing people what I had been through, which helped me freed from the fear and anxiety of being different at such a young age.
I am forever grateful and wish everyone could be proud of their scars.”. Words that touched his mother, Sarah Ferguson, who replied: “I am very touched by this message and I have a lot of admiration for you. I hope it will inspire young people to take ownership of their scars and their life journey, as you have so beautifully done.”.
Princess Eugenie: “Let’s be proud of our scars!”
A few days earlier, Princess Eugenie had already mentioned her scar.
“Today is International Scoliosis Awareness Day. I just wanted to share my scar and encourage anyone who has been through something similar to share theirs with me. Let’s be proud of our scars!”she wrote before encouraging her fans to share photos of their scars.
“To all of you who have just been diagnosed, to those who have braces, to those who are recovering from surgery, and to those who have been living with a scar for years, my thoughts are with you on the occasion of Scoliosis Awareness Day”she added kindly.
An operation that lasted eight hours
During a visit to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where she had surgery, Princess Beatrice’s sister explained: “It was, of course, a frightening prospect for a 12-year-old; I still remember very well my nervousness in the days and weeks leading up to the operation. But my memories of the RNOH, where the operation took place, are happy ones: everyone there was so warm and friendlyand they did everything to make me feel comfortable and relaxed”.
In all transparency, the young woman added: “During my eight-hour operation, my surgeons inserted 20-centimeter titanium rods on each side of my spine and four-centimeter screws at the top of my neck. After three days in intensive care, I spent a week in a ward and six days in a wheelchairbut I started walking again afterwards.”.
