Early Life
Princess Eugenie was born in London at the Portland Hospital on 23 March 1990, the second child of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, and sixth grandchild of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She is also a distant cousin of her late aunt Diana, Princess of Wales, whose father was John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer for Eugenie's mother Sarah, Duchess of York is a direct descendant of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, daughter of John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer, (via Georgiana's illegitimate daughter Eliza Courtney). She was baptised at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, by the Bishop of Norwich, on 23 December 1990. She was the first royal baby to have a public christening, and her godparents were James Ogilvy (her father's second cousin), Captain Alastair Ross (who was unable to attend), Mrs Ronald Ferguson (her maternal grandfather's 2nd wife), Mrs Patrick Dodd-Noble, and Miss Louise Blacker. She was named after Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, the daughter of Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, and Princess Helena, Victoria's third daughter. She and her sister are the only granddaughters of the Queen to hold the title of Princess of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the style Her Royal Highness: although their cousin, Lady Louise Windsor, is legally a princess, in accordance with Letters Patent issued by King George V, she is not styled as such at the request of the Queen and her parents; their other female first cousin, Zara Phillips, is the Queen's granddaughter through the female line, therefore allowing her only the title and style of her father, who has none.
Eugenie is also the first British Princess since her grandmother's aunt, Princess Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary (known as Princess Mary), to bear the name Victoria; Queen Victoria had requested that her female descendants bear the name Victoria somewhere in their name, however neither Elizabeth II, the late Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra, Princess Anne, nor Princess Beatrice hold the name Victoria.
Princess Eugenie's parents divorced when she was 6 years old. However, when she was not at school, her time was spent with her family, as the divorce had been amicable and the Duke and Duchess of York had agreed to joint custody of the girls. Eugenie and her sister frequently travel abroad with one or both of their parents. In the April 2008 issue of Tatler, Eugenie described her grandmother as "one of the most amazing women ever," and her parents as "the best divorced couple" she knew. When Princess Eugenie turned seventeen, she underwent orthodontic treatment, like her sister. She had her orthodontic appliances on for two years before they were taken off.
In October 2002, Eugenie, then aged twelve, underwent back surgery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London, to correct scoliosis. She still has the two titanium rods in her back that were put in place in 2002. She made a full recovery and is not expected to undergo any further surgery for the condition.
Read more about this topic: Princess Eugenie Of York
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