She said she had ”fallen in love with their mission” and now Princess Eugenie has shown the importance she places on a charity working with patients who, like her, have undergone spinal treatment. The princess is now the patron of Horatio’s Garden, an organisation bringing accessible green spaces to spinal treatment centres.
Eugenie announced her latest patronage on her Instagram page earlier this week where she talked about the charity’s work which involves creating and maintaining gardens that provide spinal injury patients with a chance to enjoy nature and fresh air even in the very first days of their treatment. Speaking about the work the charity does, Eugenie said ”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.”
Eugenie spoke about her involvement with the organisation which she first came across in 2016 and which also provides therapies including art and music experiences in the gardens that it plants. Dr. Olivia Chapple, who is co-founder of Horatio’s Garden as well as the Chair of its Trustees, said ”We are delighted and honoured that Princess Eugenie has committed to support the charity, helping us to improve the lives of more families affected by spinal injury”.
Princess Eugenie underwent surgery for scoliosis, also called curvature of the spine, when she was twelve. She has spoken candidly about the operation, which lasted eight hours, and the treatment surrounding it and famously asked her wedding dress designers to create a gown which showcased her scar to give confidence to others.
Her treatment was carried out at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital which she has visited many times since, most recently in March this year when she officially opened the Stanmore Building there on an engagement with her father, the Duke of York, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank. Eugenie was announced as the new patron of the RNOH Charity on the same day.
Now she’s revealed that during that visit she also saw the site that Horatio’s Garden has identified at the RNOH for another of their green spaces. As that project begins to take shape, Eugenie said she hopes ”to learn” from the patients who use Horatio’s Gardens as well as from those who help create them.
