Kate Middleton Filled with 'Humanity and Kindness,' Says Teen with Cancer After Windsor Castle Hug

Mar. 15, 2025

Kate Middleton hugs young photographer Liz Hatton.Photo:Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Kate Middleton’s meeting with a young woman with cancer was filled with “humanity and kindness."

Hatton, 16, said it was “a massive shock” when Kate and William, both 42, walked into the room at the Castle on Oct. 2. after William had handed out honors to ordinary people and celebrities who have achieved great things.

“None of us were really expecting it necessarily — except for my little brother apparently!” added Hatton, who has been diagnosed with a desmoplastic small round cell tumor, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. She has also been told she has between six months and three years to live.

“Talking to them was amazing ‘cause it was like talking to anyone, like just a normal person,” she added to the BBC. “There was no sort of grandeur about them, there was just humanity and kindness.”

Kate Middleton and Prince William with Liz Hatton and her family.Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

In May, Hatton’s mother Vicky Roboyna shared her daughter’s “photography bucket list” toXin a post that’s since gained traction with thousands of likes and shares.

William heard about this through the London Air Ambulance Charity, of which he serves as patron, and the Prince of Wales' team posted some of her photos from the investiture to the official social media accounts he shares with Kate.

Hatton told BBC Radio 4 that she wants to fill her life “with as many good experiences as I can because those happy memories are what’s going to be what’s important not just to me but to the people around me who experience them with me.”

Her mother Vicky added in the radio interview, “Would we choose to have Liz forever and none of these experiences — of course we would. But that’s not on the cards and we’re so very grateful that people have just gone out of their way to make things happen for her and make some of her dreams come true.”

After the meeting on Oct. 2, William and Kate’s social media channels posted their own reaction. “A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today. A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both,” the Prince and Princess of Wales wrote.

Kate Middleton hugs Liz Hatton.Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

“Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us. ❤️,” they added. The royals signed the post “W&C,” using the initials of their first names as shorthand to signal that the message came directly from them.

Hatton added on her Instagram Story on Oct. 2 under a photo of herself hugging the Princess of Wales: “Such a lovely, genuine and kind people, I’m over the moon that my family and I had this experience.”

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The Princess of Wales announced via an Sept. 9 video message that she completedchemotherapy treatment. Kate earlier shared in March that she was undergoingtreatment for cancer, and has been outside of the spotlight for much of 2024 to privately prioritize her health.

source: people.com