Sarah Ferguson regularly shares her pride in her daughter Princess Eugenie after she made the brave decision to show off her back scar on her wedding day, after being born with scoliosis and undergoing surgery at the age of 12.
But now the Duchess of York, 59, has reportedly claimed her daughter could have been “put in an asylum and locked up” if she had been born with the condition in another country.
According to Hello! magazine, she made the comments in a lengthy speech at a party at Kensington Palace just days ago, celebrating her charity Street Child’s tenth anniversary.
“I was never more proud to see my tall, beautiful, upstanding daughter full of courage,” the mag claims she told the audience, according to the Mail Online. “She had scoliosis. In other countries in the world she would be put in an asylum and locked up.”
She went on to praise her daughter’s incredible confidence on her wedding day, and thanked her son-in-law Jack Brooksbank for “trying to tame the lion, which is my daughter”.
Scoliosis is caused by an abnormal curve in the spine and Eugenie is said to have grown two inches after her operation in 2002.
Fergie previously told the Mail of her daughter’s condition: “We thought it was a small curvature but it was mammoth… Her bones had oscillated to such a degree that by the time she reached 18 she would have been a hunchback. It was horrendous.”
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Eugenie’s complex operation involved her having 12 inch metal rods inserted into her back to fix the curve. She previously shared the X-rays of her back in order to try to raise more awareness of scoliosis, and she was widely praised for the move online.
She wrote on Instagram at the time: “Today is International Scoliosis Awareness Day and I’m very proud to share my X Rays for the very first time.
“I also want to honour the incredible staff at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital who work tirelessly to save lives and make people better. They made me better and I am delighted to be their patron of the Redevelopment Appeal.”