Eugenie had back surgery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in London to correct her scoliosis ‒ curvature in the spine ‒ in October 2002.
She has since become a patron of the RNOH Charity, which recently launched an urgent appeal to raise funds amid the coronavirus crisis. In a video for the RNOH Charity in 2012, ten years after her own operation, Eugenie described her experience at the hospital.
She said: “I came here and they put metal rods in my neck and eight inch screws up my back which have now fused together and keep me straight. I remember my nurses were all so nice.”
The surgery was a success, and when the young princess came out of her operation, she astonished her mother, the Duchess of York, by staying as polite as ever.
Eugenie explained: “I remember I came out of the operation and I said ‘water please’ and my mum said: ‘This is the only time you don’t need manners!’”
It had been Eugenie’s mother ‒ affectionately known as Fergie ‒ who discovered the scoliosis while Eugenie was swimming.
The princess said that when she was admitted to the hospital everything was “amazing”, adding that: “I had posters in my wall and flowers and everyone was so nice. Only next morning was I scared.”
The operation was around eight hours long, then Eugenie spent three days in intensive care and a week on the ward.
She was then in a wheelchair for a further six days, but was walking again after that.
The princess said: “I am living proof for all these young people who have the same thing as I have, maybe more so or not, I have done it and been through it and I want to be able to help as much as I can for everyone.”
Eugenie and her father Prince Andrew recalled that, while the care she had received at the hospital was excellent, the state of the building the staff had to use was rather dilapidated.
The Duke of York said: “I was slightly bemused by arriving in a hospital which I was expecting to see really quite a smart hospital and then I found that you were in huts from the last war.”
Eugenie added: “During my recent visit to the hospita’s Stanmore site, where I was treated, I was reminded of the rather run-down condition of the hospital.
“There is a very striking disparity between the quality of the RNOH’s service and the quality of the buildings from which its staff operate.”
She and her father, both RNOH patrons, supported a fundraising effort to get a new hospital built that was fit for purpose.
The Redevelopment Appeal, launched in April 2012, included plans for the Princess Eugenie House, which is set to contain a new accommodation facility for the families of children being treated at RNOH, as well as a new Independent Living Unit.
The RNOH website states: “The Independent Living Unit will play an integral role in the rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a life-changing injury such as spinal cord damage.
“It will enable our medical staff to replicate all potential home situations within the relative sately of the hospital grounds.
“Patients will be able to practice and train in self-care and domestic tasks, such as washing, dresing, eating, drinking, and housekeeping.
“This will significantly improve their quality of life, and their ability to live independently, after they are discharged and return home.”
Amid the coronavirus crisis, the RNHO has become an orthopaedic trauma centre for the first time since 1983.
The RNOH Charity has therefore created a COVID-19 support fund for its staff, providing everything from meals to essential equipment to supporting their mental health.
The website explains: “This is a uniquely challenging time for the RNOH, as it is for the NHS as a whole.”
They are welcoming both monetary donations on their JustGiving page, and donations in kind such as food, toiletries and reading material.