Princess Eugenie Just Received a New Patronage That's Close to Her Heart

Princess Eugenie has added a new patronage to her name and it’s related to a condition very close to her heart.

“We are pleased to announce that Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie has agreed to become the Royal Patron of the Scoliosis Association UK,” the charity posted on Twitter, Thursday.

The association, which was founded in 1981, provides support and information to those affected by scoliosis. It’s a condition that Eugenie knows well as she underwent surgery for scoliosis, a disorder that causes an abnormal curve of the spine, at age 12.

“I am absolutely delighted and grateful that Princess Eugenie is to be our Royal Patron,” adds Stephanie Clark, co-founder and chair of SAUK. “Her bravery and experience makes this a very personal decision, and will continue to offer encouragement to the many people of all ages who are struggling to come to terms with their scoliosis.”

To mark International Scoliosis Awareness Day in June, the royal posted a close-up image of her scar onto Instagram, asking other people to share their scars too. “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.”

In September, she kept her word, posting a series of images sent to her from members of the public, often with inspirational comments or the hashtag #gotyourback. One recent story featured an image of Selena Gomez, who posed in a blue one-piece swimsuit, showing off the scar she received from an emergency follow-up procedure after her kidney transplant in 2017.

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While Eugenie, youngest daughter to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson has opened up about her surgery before, it was on her wedding day in 2018 when she publicly showed off her scar, which runs down her back, for the first time, by wearing a low-backed wedding dress and no veil

In 2012, she became patron of the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital, where Eugenie herself was treated and in 2019, she became patron of Horatio’s Garden, an organization that creates gardens for spinal centres associated with the U.K’s NHS.

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