Princess Eugenie is an inspiration for others with scoliosis, often speaking openly about the condition, and the surgery she had in 2002 to correct the curvature of her spine.
Sarah Ferguson's daughter was treated at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London, and while Eugenie has nothing but positive things to say about the treatment she received at the hands of the medical staff at the facility, both the royal and her father, Prince Andrew, shared their dismay at the condition of the hospital when they visited again in 2012.
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In a piece written for the hospital's website, Eugenie, who is now 32, wrote: "During my recent visit to the hospital's Stanmore site, where I was treated, I was reminded of how remarkable a place it is. But I was also reminded of the rather run-down condition of the hospital.
"There is a very striking disparity between the quality of the RNOH's service and the quality of the buildings," she continued.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Eugenie proudly showed her scar in her wedding dress
Prince Andrew echoed his daughter's sentiments following their visit, adding that he was concerned ahead of his daughter's operation: "I was slightly bemused by arriving in a hospital, which I was expecting to see really quite a smart hospital, and then I found that you were in huts from the last war."
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The pair supported a fundraising effort to get a new hospital built that is fit for purpose, with Eugenie working as patron for the RNOH Charity.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Eugenie supports the RNOH
The charity focuses on strengthening the work of the RNOH by providing extra services and facilities that are beyond the reach of the hospital's NHS budget.
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Sharing her connection with the charity, Princess Eugenie said: "[Surgery was] a scary prospect for a 12-year-old. I can still vividly remember how nervous I felt in the days and weeks before the operation. But my abiding memories of the RNOH, where the surgery was carried out, are happy ones - everyone there was so warm and friendly, and they went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and relaxed."
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Talking about the procedure, the princess, who is expecting her second child, said: "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. 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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