Kate and William: their rare tribute to Liz, the young photographer taken by cancer

Kate Middleton and Prince William formed a strong bond with Liz Hatton, a 17-year-old British photographer suffering from a rare abdominal cancer. The Princess of Wales and her husband supported her dream until her death in November 2024.

Since then, they have continued their commitment in memory of the teenager, notably through a symbolic gesture: a rose that blooms every November.

A dream come true, made possible by Kate and William

It all began with an appeal made by Liz’s mother, Vicky Robayna, on social media. Her daughter, diagnosed with a rare sarcoma, a desmoplastic small round cell tumour, had a dream: to capture a royal event with her camera.

That dream came true at Windsor Castle in the autumn of 2024, thanks to the intervention of a contact within a charity supported by Prince William.

That day, Liz, her family, and even her brother Mateo, met a deeply moved royal couple. Kate Middleton, herself then undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer, embraced the children and showed herself to be warm and approachable.

Liz, moved by this closeness, would later say the princes were “two of the most genuine people” she had ever met.

In November, shortly after Liz’s death, Kate and William sent the family an “Ice N Roses Early Rose,” a symbolic flower that will bloom again every November, to keep Liz’s memory alive. A powerful gesture reflecting the deep bond between the two families.

A tribute renewed

Since then, the Hatton family has been invited to several royal events, notably the Christmas service at Westminster Abbey and a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2025.

On each occasion, the royal couple renewed their support. “Without the princess, we wouldn’t have been able to raise as much awareness,” Vicky notes. The Capture Foundation, created in Liz’s memory, has already raised more than $163,000 to fund research.

Vicky also stresses a message her daughter wanted to convey: everyone’s right to manage the announcement of their illness freely. “Liz was shocked by the way some people criticised Kate Middleton for her silence. She thought it unfair that patients should be expected to justify themselves publicly,” she confides.

Right up until her final days, Liz continued to pursue her passion. She was still taking photographs up to five days before her death. “She showed that palliative care can also be a way of living,” her mother concludes.

In Liz, Kate Middleton no doubt saw a reflection of her own struggle. And in supporting her, she leaves a legacy that extends far beyond the walls of Windsor Castle.