The Princess of Wales’ 7.6cm scar was first seen in 2011 at her first solo royal engagement: a black-tie private dinner at Clarence House.
The royal, who attended the event on behalf of King Charles, wore a vintage silver evening gown with a halter neck covered in beads.
The princess wore her hair in a half-up, half-down style, which made the scar on her left temple unexpectedly visible. A spokesperson for the royal confirmed that the blemish was a result of a surgery carried out when she was a kid.
An official statement revealed that “the scar related to a childhood operation”, however, went on to say that the details of the surgery were a private matter.
Royal insiders confirmed that it had been “a very serious operation” but declined to comment further.
John Scurr, a consultant surgeon at London’s Lister Hospital, said that he thought the scar was unlikely to have been the result of a tumor.
“I really doubt it was any serious medical condition and I would say it is as a result of an arteriovenous malformation – a birthmark – being removed. It is remarkable, given the measurement, that no one has noticed before.”
Kate’s husband, Prince William, has a similar scar on his head, which he refers to as his “Harry Potter scar”.
The blemish – which becomes inflamed and easier to see when the royal plays sport – is said to have happened as a result of a golfing accident.
The royal allegedly sustained the injury in 1991 during a game of golf with his friends at school in Wokingham, reports Hello! magazine.
The prince, who was 8 at the time, had a fractured skull and was taken to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for an operation on the wound.
In 2009, William recounted the story while being interviewed by a 10-year-old cancer patient for CBBC’s Newsround.
Chatting to Alice, a Royal Marsden Hospital patient, he pointed to his head, saying: “That was for my Harry Potter scar, as I call it, just here.
“I call it that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it – other times they don’t notice it at all. I got hit by a golf club when I was playing golf with a friend,” he revealed.
“Yeah, we were on a putting green and the next thing you know there was a seven-iron and it came out of nowhere and hit me in the head. I was in the hospital, but that was very minor compared to how many times you’ve been in hospital.”
