'Astonishing': Young photographer with cancer describes hugging Princess Kate at Windsor Castle
Liz Hatton, the young teen who has a rare form of cancer, spoke to ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship about the "genuine love" she received from Princess Kate and Prince William
When the photo of the Princess of Wales embracing Liz Hatton was released by Kensington Palace this week, it showed two people who have both been on a cancer journey this year.
Liz is 17 years old and is facing her diagnosis with a level of bravery I can barely comprehend.
We met Liz and her family today as they travelled back from Windsor Castle.
A keen photographer, Liz, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, wants to take her camera to as many special places as possible in the time she still has.
As she told me today, she quit school this year because “what’s the point in an A Level when you only have a year or so to live?”
They are words which remind you - in the starkest possible way - of the reality of her diagnosis.
In January, just 9 months ago, Liz was told she had desmoplastic small round cell tumour – a rare and aggressive cancer and received ten rounds of chemotherapy.
She’s been told her cancer is now chemo-resistant.
“At this point... I would rather have my time to be doing things, like what I did yesterday, doing my photography and being with my family as opposed to being in hospital and dealing with a load of side effects," she told ITV News today.
And after the family was told the cancer was most likely incurable, Liz’s mum posted on social media asking for help with finding special places and experiences.
She called it Liz’s “photography bucket list”.
And that’s how Kensington Palace heard about Liz and invited the family to Windsor Castle to watch the investiture and take some pictures of her own.
A moment Liz didn’t even have on that wish list, presuming it would never be possible.
The sheer volume of responses to her post means that Mum, Vicky Robayna, can laugh about it today.
She looked across at Liz and told us, jokingly: “It’s not often I get it right!”
Liz, her mum, her dad Aaron and her brother Mateo, spent half an hour in a private meeting with William and Kate at Windsor and described the whole thing as “astonishing”.
“All of my family were taken aback by the kindness of everybody," said Liz speaking about the time they spent with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Every cancer journey is different. Kate has finished her course of chemotherapy. Liz has been told she can’t have any more.
She said: “We didn’t discuss anything to do with cancer. I’d still say they definitely had a lot of empathy – both of them. They were so human and kind.”
It was an absolute pleasure for me and my team to meet Liz and family today and see the special bond between her and her younger brother Mateo, who is just 8 years old.
We invited them into our own ITV News studios at lunchtime, another place where Liz could use the camera she loves so much.
Her mum told us today, they were focusing on making as many memories as they can – a “lifetime of memories” in the time they still have.
“We can’t change the hand we’ve been dealt”, Vicky said, “all we can do is make the best of the time we have.”
Liz Hatton is touched by the generosity of complete strangers: “I could not be more thankful or more appreciative of all the responses."
And even those who can’t help, she says, “offer kind words”.
“It touches all of our hearts. It just proves that while the world may deal you a rotten hand, then at least people are there to go through it with you.”
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This is the Talking Royals - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson