Inside Princess Eugenie's Struggle With Scoliosis

In recent years, Princess Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, has opened up about her struggle with scoliosis. Sharing her story with the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity, Princess Eugenie revealed she was diagnosed with scoliosis (curvature of the spine) at just 12 years old. At the time, she was also told she would need corrective surgery, admitting, "I can still vividly remember how nervous I felt in the days and weeks before the operation." 

Expanding on the details of just how nervous she really was, she told Hello! Magazine in 2018, "There are so many emotions and worries that go thundering through your head." The now 30-year-old princess went on, "Will I be able to play sports, or will I look the same, or will I miss a lot of school and be behind? I remember being angry about not being able to run and play."

Princess Eugenie even opened up about the surgery she endured. "During my operation, which took eight hours, my surgeons inserted eight-inch titanium rods into each side of my spine and one-and-a-half inch screws at the top of my neck," she said (via Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity). "After three days in intensive care, I spent a week on a ward and six days in a wheelchair, but I was walking again after that."

The grueling surgery left her with a scar on her back, which she couldn't be prouder of today. Posting a photo of it on her Instagram on International Scoliosis Awareness Day in 2020, Princess Eugenie encouraged others to take pride in their scars, too. "I just wanted to share my scar and encourage anyone out there who's gone through something similar to share theirs with me," she wrote as her caption. "Let's be proud of our scars!"