William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, meet teen cancer patient Liz Hatton, centre, and her family at Windsor Castle last year. Photo: TNS
Kate Middleton paid tribute on International Women’s Day to a teen cancer patient with whom the Princess of Wales had spent time with a month before the girl’s death last fall.
Liz Hatton died in November at age 17, just 10 months after being diagnosed with a rare sarcoma, a terminal cancer known as aggressive desmoplastic tumour.
“Celebrating the strength and creativity of Liz and Vicky Hatton,” Middleton wrote Saturday (March 8) on X of the teen and her mother. “It was an honour meeting them both in Windsor in October. Liz’s memory lives on in Vicky’s unwavering resilience. Thank you for such a moving moment.”
Meeting Middleton had been on the teen’s bucket list, and in October the princess obliged. Hatton was bent on being a photographer, and she spent the rest of her young life fulfilling that dream.
To help further fill that bucket, Kate and husband Prince William invited Hatton to photograph an investiture ceremony he presided over in October, a month after the princess announced the end of her own months-long chemotherapy treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
“A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today,” the couple said on X at the time, signing it with a heart emoji followed by their initials “W&C.”
“A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both. Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us,” the royals wrote.
Hatton was one of several girls and women the royal couple highlighted for International Women’s Day. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
