Princess Eugenie has long been known as one of the down-to-earth members of the royal family, and her latest Instagram post shows that she's taken that idea literally. The snap, which she posted on Wednesday, shows her smiling and kneeling in a garden, wearing a stylish white dress with black trim and large green gardening gloves.
Her new hobby is all in a good cause: the princess has just become patron of Horatio's Garden, an organisation that creates accessible gardens at spinal injury centres around the country, to make sure that patients have a beautiful view while they heal. "Since learning about this charity back in 2016, I have fallen in love with their mission to bring joy to people and help their recovery," Princess Eugenie wrote in the caption. She went on to reveal that she has been a fan of the organisation for a couple of years.
The Princess enjoys sharing behind-the-scenes insights into her life
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"In 2017 I was able to visit Horatio’s Garden in Scotland, and in March this year I saw the site that has been identified at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, where I underwent spinal surgery," she added. "As a former spinal patient myself, I understand how the chance to get outside is so beneficial not only for recovery, but for staying positive at a life-changing, and often traumatic, time."
Princess Eugenie got engaged to Jack Brooksbank in January 2018
The Princess, who turned 29 in March, underwent surgery for scoliosis when she was just 12 years old. When she married businessman Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle in October 2018, she memorably requested that her stunning Peter Pilotto wedding dress be designed to show off the scar on her back, rather than hiding it, as royal watchers might have expected.
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That wasn't the first time she'd been so forthcoming about her operation. Last July, she shared private images of her X-rays from hospital, showing off the pins and rods inserted into her back to mark International Scoliosis Awareness Day. She finished her post on Wednesday by writing, "I hope to learn from the patients I meet and the wonderful people working to create these gardens."
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