Her declaration that “you can change the way beauty is” has proven an inspiration to many. Readers told us how they, too, are proud of their scars:
‘My dress had a low back too’
Christine told us: “I’m really happy the word is getting out there and that there are people in those positions to be advocates for this.”
Like the princess, she had major surgery on her back to treat scoliosis, a condition that causes the spine to bend to one side.
“Celebrities are showing off the fact that they’re not bothered by their scoliosis, it helps those younger people who might be struggling with it,” says Christine, who preferred not to give her surname.
The Queen’s granddaughter, who had her surgery to treat a curvature of the spine at the age of 12, said she was wearing this particular dress as a way of “standing up for young people who also go through this.”
Christine also showed off her scar at her recent wedding.
But she remembers how it felt as a teenager. Having been diagnosed with scoliosis at 14, she underwent surgery five times between the ages of 15 and 17.
‘Felt like the end of the world’
“It was quite frightening as I didn’t even know what it was, or anyone else who had the condition. I was going through puberty and a lot of changes.
“Your friends are going through expected milestones and you have to play catch up later. It felt like the end of the world… but it’s worked out perfectly fine.”
Christine missed Year 11 at school and had to retake some GCSEs in college. But she was grateful for the support of her friends.
“At one point I was wearing a full-body plaster cast, from my chin to my hip. School friends all came to sign it.”
She still suffers back pain but says yoga and pilates help.
‘I love my scars’
For Simon Howson-Baggott, 35, his scars are a reminder of a turning point in his life.
He doesn’t look back at schooldays with fondness, having been given a plastic brace to wear after being diagnosed with kyphosis when he was 12.
“It was a big plastic ugly thing right around the body,” he says. “I came up with all sorts of excuses to try not to wear it.”
Where scoliosis causes the spine to bend to one side, Simon describes kyphosis as a “traditional hunchback”.
He had to wait until he stopped growing, aged 18, for surgery. But two weeks in hospital and six months’ recuperation disrupted his schooling and he left college with no A-Levels.
Image copyrightSIMON HOWSON-BAGGOTT
Now he has a good job looking after corporate clients for a social media company, but he says: “It’s been a real struggle.”
Surgery left Simon, from Fareham, Hampshire, with a 38cm (15in) scar down his back and another measuring 15cm (6in) along his hip.
‘Shark bite’
“It was horrendous at first but wasn’t as painful after about three weeks. Afterwards you feel brilliant.
“I love the scars. I used to tell girls it was a shark bite.”
He’s even priced up getting a giant zip tattoo – £550 “because it’s so big”. But if it’s painful on the wallet at least his deadened nerve endings mean he won’t suffer under the needle, he jokes.
“I have seen some really cool ones on the internet,” he says. “But it’s different for blokes.
“It was really cool that Eugenie made a point of highlighting hers. For young kids like I was, you need something to say it’s not a big deal.
“Maybe a bit of advice like that would have helped me.”
