Even British royals could use sisterly support every now and then, and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are proof positive. When Eugenie was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, Beatrice inspired her to persevere. And these sibs — the daughters of Prince Charles‘ brother Prince Andrew and Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York — talked about their bond at the 2018 We Day UK Charity Concert on Wednesday, March 7.

“As my big sister, you inspire me,” Eugenie told Beatrice. “I love that, as a team, we work hard to support each other — no matter what.” Eugenie then delved into her history with scoliosis. “When I was 12, I was diagnosed with and treated for scoliosis, and I have lived with two 12-inch metal rods in my back,” she told the audience. “It could have impacted my life and stopped me from doing the things I love.”

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Eugenie visiting the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Turning to Beatrice, the 27-year-old said, “You encouraged me not to get disheartened. Not to give up. To live fearlessly. Today, I am so lucky to get to work with and support other young women who are going through the same thing. To encourage them to not let their diagnosis win. To live fearlessly, too.” Beatrice, 29, echoed those sentiments. “Today as sisters we stand here to support not only each other but all women,” she added.

In 2014, Eugenie returned to London’s Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and commended the medical professionals who treated her. “I can still vividly remember how nervous I felt in the days and weeks before the operation,” she said during that appearance. “During my operation, which took eight hours, my surgeons inserted eight-inch titanium rods into each side of my spine and 1.5-inch screws at the top of my neck. 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.”

The princess even revealed her back would be hunched over if it weren’t for the operation. But now she can walk tall as she, for example, walks down the aisle at her Oct. 12 wedding to Jack Brooksbank. And her sister Beatrice will be by her side that joyous day, just as she has been for decades.

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