Kate Middleton's 'jaw-dropping' chat with 'shell-shocked' teen given weeks to live
It is in the gift of royalty to create magical, once in a lifetime moments – and that’s exactly what the Prince and Princess of Wales did when they met 16-year-old Liz Hatton. In her first engagement since the news that she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, Kate, 42, was pictured hugging aspiring photographer Liz who has documented her progress in the form of a bucket list as she bravely battles a rare and aggressive form of cancer. It was an understandably poignant meeting at Windsor Castle for the royal couple and Liz and was something the teen has since described as so “jaw dropping” and “insane” that she hadn’t included it on her original list.
Speaking after she was invited to meet the pair and photograph Prince William carrying out an investiture, Liz told The Mirror: “It wasn’t even on my bucket list, it was way too big. I never thought I would get to do anything as massive as this. When I did my bucket list I just put some ideas down that I didn’t even think any of these things would happen.”
The teen, who is from Harrogate, was diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumours in January this year, with tumours discovered on both of her ovaries, her omentum tissue, and liver. The rare disease - of which there are only around 12 cases per year in England - is aggressive, and can leave people with just a matter of months to live.
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On the moment she heard that her project had reached the attention of the Royal Family, Liz explained, “My mum told me that someone from the Air Ambulance crew had contacted the palace and was trying to arrange something. But at that point I was completely convinced that absolutely nothing would come of it because I am just some random girl from North Yorkshire and they’re the Royal Family.”
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A few months ago, she said a similar event had been planned but “unfortunately my treatment got in the way of that. But they were just so lovely and they promised to reschedule and stay in touch which they did and a few weeks ago they got back in touch and said there was another opportunity so obviously we jumped on it because we could.
“Since then they’ve explained everything to us before it happened except for meeting them - which we completely didn’t know about! We had no idea we would be meeting the Prince and Princess until they walked through the door. I was quite shell-shocked to be honest, the whole day was jaw dropping. But that moment was just insane.
"It was really special because they were just so kind. There was nothing about them that suggested they were superior. They were just really human to be honest and really natural. There was never a moment of awkwardness. It was normal to talk to them. They talked a lot about my photography.”
Right at the heart of her project is her love of taking pictures – something Kate shares and something which has thoroughly endeared her to the public. As well as releasing several images over the years of her family to mark anniversaries and birthdays, the Princess – who serves as the Patron for the Royal Photographic Society – launched the Hold Still campaign during lockdown and also took portraits of Queen Camilla to mark her 75th birthday for Country Life Magazine.
Before admitting that the ultimate opportunity would be to do something with Vogue, Liz revealed that she and the Princess spoke a “little bit” about their shared love of photography and she asked about what camera she uses, which is a Canon.
The teenager's mum, Vicky, went viral on social media after she posted Liz's bucket list, which includes everything from having the opportunity to photograph the rehearsal of a major musical to capturing the catwalk at London Fashion Week and being able to have photographs published in as many magazines as possible.
Beyond making a dream come true for Liz, the engagement also provided the opportunity to see the Princess of Wales for the first time since the news that her chemotherapy treatment had come to an end was released.
It is a move which former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has heralded as a “very good sign” for the Princess. “Kate is clearly testing the waters very gently and these unannounced appearances are such a good sign that she is gaining strength and confidence,” Jennie exclusively tells OK!
“She obviously didn’t want to make a huge song and dance about carrying out a public facing engagement but it’s a very encouraging sign that she felt well enough to do so.
"And what a poignant engagement it was! We should take note of what Liz said about William and Kate: that they are lovely, genuine and kind people. And that shines through in the photo that was issued of Kate holding Liz close in the warmest of hugs. I think it’s highly likely that Kate will extend her charity portfolio to include cancer sufferers and cancer research.
"Her personal experience will resonate with everyone she meets in that field and her support could be so important for all involved: sufferers, researchers, carers etc. William must be very proud of his wife. He knows exactly the struggle she has been facing… her fears, her doubts, her hopes, her anxieties. It must be wonderful for him to stand alongside her and see her doing what she does so well.”
