Royal family

Kate Middleton once had emergency surgery for a mass on her head. Here's a look at the Princess of Wales' health and the circumstances surrounding the surgery.

Published on December 23, 2022

2 min read

Most of the royal family members appear to be in good health. However, there are times when an unexpected health event occurs. Kate Middleton, for example, once had to have emergency surgery for a mass on her head. Read more to learn what happened and why the princess needed surgery.

Kate Middleton’s health

Kate had to navigate a pregnancy health issue during her early years as a royal. The Princess of Wales experienced Hyperemesis Gravidarum during all three of her pregnancies. This is a condition that can result in severe nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and weight loss.

During the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, Kate revealed her pregnancies were challenging because of the health condition. “I got very bad morning sickness, so I’m not the happiest of pregnant people,” she told host Giovanna Fletcher.

Kate went on to say it’s difficult when your loved ones can’t do much to help. She says Prince William didn’t feel like he could do much to assist her.

“Lots of people have it far, far worse, but it was definitely a challenge,” Kate continues. “Not just for me but also for your loved ones around you – and I think that’s the thing – being pregnant and having a newborn baby and things like that, impacts everybody in the family. William didn’t feel he could do much to help and it’s hard for everyone to see you suffering without actually being able to do anything about it.”

Kate Middleton had emergency surgery for a mass on her head

Kate had emergency surgery on her head when she was in high school. According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl in the book Kate: The Future Queen, Kate noticed a lump on the left side of her head. After alerting her doctor, it was determined she needed surgery right away. Kate returned to school shortly after the operation so she could continue her studies at Marlborough College.

“I can remember the incident and her having an operation,” Ann Patching, an employee at Marlborough, told Nicholl (via Marie Claire). “I don’t recall anything happening on the hockey pitch [field] that had anything to do with the lump. Catherine had the operation during her term time. She was back at school very soon afterwards. As usual, nothing was too much of a big deal for her. You could never accuse Catherine of being a drama queen, but Carole was very worried, as any mother would be.”

Princess Eugenie had scoliosis surgery

Kate isn’t the only royal who had surgery. Princess Eugenie, who was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age 12, had surgery to correct a curvature in her spine. Eugenie wrote about the eight-hour procedure in an article she wrote for the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital website.

“During my operation, which took eight hours, my surgeons inserted eight-inch titanium rods into each side of my spine and one-and-a-half inch screws at the top of my neck,” says Eugenie. “After three days in intensive care, I spent a week on a ward and six days in a wheelchair, but I was walking again after that.”

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