Princess Eugenie’s wedding dress, designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, features a backless design showcasing a key aspect of the Princess’s life: the scars from her scoliosis surgery.
Princess Eugenie has been very vocal about having been diagnosed with scoliosis and has even invited representatives from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, including her surgeon, Dr Jan Lehovsky, where she had surgery to help correct the condition when she was 12, resulting in two eight-inch titanium rods inserted next to her spine.
“Without the care, I received at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, I wouldn’t look the way I do now; my back would be hunched over… My back problems were a huge part of my life, as they would be for any 12-year-old. Children can look at me now and know that the operation works,” Princess Eugenie revealed in June, for International Scoliosis Awareness Day, sharing her story of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital’s special appeal page.
“I’m living proof of the ways in which the hospital can change people’s lives.”
[getty src=”1051955792″ width=”594″ height=”430″ tld=”co.uk”]Princess Eugenie also shared photos of her X-rays on Instagram to mark International Scoliosis Awareness Day earlier this year.
Sarah, Duchess of York, spoke to the Evening Standard and alluded to the fact that the team from the hospital were invited to honour the fact that Princess Eugenie was walking up the aisle with a straight back thanks to them.
“She certainly will be an extraordinary example of great work from the RNOH,” Sarah said. “The wedding is about love, future and inclusivity.”
