Kate Middleton's Conversation with Liz Hatton, Teen with Cancer Who She Met at Windsor Castle, Is Revealed
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The 17-year-old photographer with terminal cancer described her experience meeting Prince William and Princess Kate in a new interview
Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
Kate Middleton shares a hug with Liz Hatton at Windsor CastleLiz Hatton, the 17-year-old photographer with cancer who made headlines this week for her embrace with Kate Middleton, is reflecting on her encounter with royalty, the "crazy" week since and what she and the Princess of Wales talked about.
Hatton — who was diagnosed in January with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, desmoplastic small round cell tumor, and was given between six months and three years to live, per theBBC — had traveled to Windsor Castle on Wednesday, Oct. 2 after being invited to take photos of an investiture ceremony as part of her "photography bucket list."
The same day, Princess Kate and Prince William's team announced they had met with the teenage photographer from Harrogate, England, sharing photos of the encounter, including a hug between Hatton and the Princess of Wales.
And now, the teenager and her family are reflecting on the encounter with the royal couple in a new interview with U.K. newspaper The Times, in what Hatton described to the outlet as a "crazy" and "insane" week.
As Hatton recalled to the outlet, most of her family — herself, her mom Vicky Robayna and her stepfather Aaron — didn't think they'd even meet Prince William and Princess Kate when she was asked to photograph the investiture, but they were later invited to a private room. Though, according to The Times, the teen's eight-year-old brother Mateo told his mom beforehand he "knew" he'd meet Prince William.
"When we got there, we were told that the prince would say a quick hello. So I thought, OK, you'd be like, 'Hi', and then that would be it," Hatton told the outlet. "But then we were sitting in the little area on the sofa, and then all of a sudden they just walk in and we were like, 'Oh!' I felt very honored."
Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
Kate Middleton and Liz Hatton share a hugThe teenager told The Times thatthe couple made her feel welcome and even shared the topics her conversation with Princess Kate covered: photography and types of lenses, rather than her cancer or Kate's recent chemotherapy treatment.
The family also shared with The Times that Windsor Castle's kitchens also called them ahead of the teenager's photography duties to ensure she'd have her favorite food, which in this case ended up being lemon drizzle cake.
After the meeting with the teenage photographer, Prince William and Princess Kate shared on social media that it was a "pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor," calling her a "talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both" and thanking her for "sharing your photos and story with us."
Hatton's "bucket list" came about after her January diagnosis, when her 43-year-old mother Robayna joined her to put together a list of things she wanted to accomplish in her time left.
"I told mum the bucket list was useless. Who would ever let me do any of this," Hatton recalled saying at first, per the Times.
In May, Robayna first shared her daughter's "photography bucket list" to X in a post that's since gone viral, in which she described her wishes to have her photography in magazines, as well as opportunities shooting London Fashion Week, musical rehearsals and more. As previously reported, Prince William heard about Hatton via the London Air Ambulance Charity, of which he serves as patron.
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The teenager's family, who gave the palace permission to release the photo of her and Princess Kate, didn't expect the story itself to pick up as it has, they told The Times.
"The palace staff have been calling us every day to check we're alright," Robayna told the outlet. "And I say 'yes'. I've honestly never seen Liz as alive as she has been this week."
Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
Liz Hatton's family poses for a photo with Prince William and Princess Kate in October 2024Related: Kate Middleton Wore Meaningful Earrings to Windsor Castle Meeting After Completing Chemotherapy
The teenager's mom told The Times that oncologist Dr. Bob Phillips had told the family that the best estimate of time left for her daughter was six months to two years.
Hatton told the outlet that her consultant most recently gave her "three to four weeks," her mother said that she has "more like eight to ten weeks" left.
"It is uncertain how long I have, how long I'll live. But it is certain that it won't be for a long time. And so because of that, I feel like the only thing you can do is do as much as possible, as much as possible of what you want to do and what you enjoy," the teen said. "And to spend it with the people you love."
"And yeah, well, what else can you do? Otherwise, you'd just sit there and be overwhelmed the whole time," she added. "And of course, there are those days where you are upset and it's too much. Be positive, but … most of the time you've just got to lift yourself up and be lifted up by the people around you to carry on."
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