Princess Eugeniemade the bold decision toshow off the scarthat helped her stand tall on herroyal weddingday.
“It’s important,” a source at the wedding tells PEOPLE of the princess bride’s decision not to cover up the mark. “If she hadn’t had that operation, she wouldn’t be able to walk — and here she was, walking down the aisle, so it was a seismic moment.”
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Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, previously told theEvening Standardthat spinal surgeon Jan Lehovsky is one of a number of Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital staff who were invited to the nuptials.
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In aJune Instagram post, Eugenieopened up about her scoliosis diagnosisas a child. She posted a photo of her X-rays, which show the 8-inch rods doctors inserted into her spine and the 1.5-inch screws at the top of her neck after an 8-hour operation she endured.
“Today is International Scoliosis Awareness Day and I’m very proud to share my X Rays for the very first time,” she wrote in the caption. “I also want to honour the incredible staff at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital who work tirelessly to save lives and make people better. They made me better and I am delighted to be their patron of the Redevelopment Appeal.”
Eugenie has been a patron of the Redevelopment Appeal, a fundraising campaign for newer facilities and equipment for RNOH, since 2012.
“Without the care I received at the RNOH I wouldn’t look the way I do now; my back would be hunched over,” shesaid. “And I wouldn’t be able to talk about scoliosis the way I now do, and help other children who come to me with the same problem. My back problems were a huge part of my life, as they would be for any 12-year-old. Children can look at me now and know that the operation works.”
source: people.com
