Princess Eugenie Revealed Her Scar From Scoliosis Surgery at 12

london, england june 28 princess eugenie of york attends the serpentine gallery summer party at the serpentine gallery on june 28, 2017 in london, england photo by karwai tangwireimage

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

published 29 June 2020

To mark International Scoliosis Awareness Day on Saturday, Princess Eugenie shared a photo of the scar on her upper back.
She was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child, and underwent major surgery on her spine at age 12.
For Eugenie's royal wedding to Jack Brooksbank, she chose a wedding dress that showed her surgery scar.

Princess Eugenie, the Queen's granddaughter, shared a photo of her scar from scoliosis surgery on Instagram Saturday, in order to mark International Scoliosis Awareness Day. Eugenie was diagnosed with scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, as a child, undergoing major surgery at the age of 12.

"I just wanted to share my scar and encourage anyone out there who's gone through something similar to share theirs with me," Eugenie wrote in her Instagram caption. "Let's be proud of our scars!"

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The royal has spoken frequently about her scoliosis in recent years, sharing her surgery story in 2018 in support of London's Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where she was treated. "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 wrote. "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."

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In October 2018, Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in a wedding dress specifically designed to display her scar. Speaking on British morning show This Morning, as the BBC reports, she explained, "It's a lovely way to honor the people who looked after me and a way of standing up for young people who also go through this."

"I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that," she said.

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