Princess Eugenie, who is a patron of the charity Horatio’s Garden, made an informal visit to the Garden at Salisbury Hospital on Saturday, May17.
During her visit, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson sat down with The Telegraph for an emotional interview.
While conversing with the interviewer, Princess Eugenie opened up about her devastating eight-hour-long surgery for scoliosis at the age of 12.
"I had a corner room in the hospital with two windows looking out over a car park. I was too young to notice I couldn’t get outside; all I cared about was where my parents and sister were," she recalled.
She went on to share, "But I do remember watching someone waving to my incredible red-haired nurse through the window and having this feeling that I couldn’t reach them. I couldn’t get out of bed or do anything for myself.”
Eugenie further admitted that the fear and shame she felt leading up to the surgery were overwhelming.
“I felt very embarrassed about the whole thing. I don’t know why or where it came from. I remember being woken up really early before my surgery – I pulled my blanket over my head. I said: ‘I don’t want to see anyone and I don’t want them to see me," the princess shared.
About Princess Eugenie’ surgery
Princess Eugenie underwent back surgery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London to correct scoliosis when she was 12 years old.
The Princess had to spend 10 days lying on her back in a hospital room and had to wait four months before returning to school.
