Princess Eugenie shares photo of scar for International Scoliosis Awareness Day

‘Let’s be proud of our scars!’ royal says on Instagram

(Getty Images/Instagram (@princesseugenie))

Princess Eugenie has shared a photograph of her scoliosis scar on Instagram, encouraging others with similar experiences to share their stories.

Saturday 27 June marked International Scoliosis Awareness Day, an annual observance first launched by the Scoliosis Association UK in 2013.

The aim of the day is to “unite people across the world to create positive public awareness of scoliosis, promote education, and bring together those affected by the condition”, the organisation states.

Scoliosis, the NHS explains, is when the spine twists and curves to the side, a condition for which some people require surgical treatment.

When she was 12 years old, Princess Eugenie underwent corrective surgery after being diagnosed with scoliosis.

In honour of International Scoliosis Awareness Day, the royal shared a close-up picture of her scar on Instagram.

The 30-year-old explained in the caption that she wants to help other people who have gone through similar experiences to feel “proud” of their scars.

“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.

“Let’s be proud of our scars! I’d love to repost any of your images on my stories so please tag me and I will share.”

When Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank on 12 October 2018, the royal felt strongly about ensuring her wedding dress did not conceal her scar.

Speaking in a special recording for an exhibition about her wedding, which opened at Windsor Castle a few months after the nuptials, Princess Eugenie explained that she always wanted her wedding gown to have a low-back design.

“Part of it was showing my scar and I believe scars tell a story about your past and your future, and it’s a way of getting rid of a taboo,” she said.

The princess added that after the wedding, she received letters from people “who were happy that I stood up and showed my scar”.

Princess Eugenie is a patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity.

In an essay published on the organisation’s website, the royal wrote about her experience of undergoing surgery in her adolescence, saying she can “vividly remember how nervous” she felt before the operation.

“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 stated.

“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.”

Princess Eugenie said that she felt “enthusiastic” about becoming a patron for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity due to everything the organisation has done for her.