Kate Middleton helps teen with cancer fulfill "bucket list" dream
Kate Middleton has taken another step back to public duties after inviting a teenage girl with a rare form of cancer to Windsor Castle.
The Prince and Princess of Wales invited 16-year-old Liz, a budding photographer from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, to Windsor Castle after the teen was told by doctors earlier this year that she only had between six months and three years to live.
“A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today,” the Prince and Princess of Wales wrote in a social media post shared on Wednesday, with a photo of Kate hugging the teenager.
“A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both. Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us.”
Liz had a photography bucket list "to create a lifetime of memories" after being diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumour in January. The cancer has no form of standard treatment.
She first took up photography in Year 6 after saving up to buy her first camera.
Liz was given the opportunity to take photos of cyclist Mark Cavendish and ex-footballer Ally McCoist's investiture ceremony, after Prince William heard about her through his patronage of London Air Ambulance Charity.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “Following the investiture both the Prince and Princess of Wales met Liz privately with her family to hear about her day and journey."
Liz said she was "over the moon" after meeting the couple at the castle.
“Such lovely, genuine and kind people, I’m over the moon that my family and I had this experience,” she recalled on social media.
The event is a rare appearance for the Princess who has been out of the public eye for most of the year following her own cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
While the meeting is not being treated as an official engagement for the Prince and Princess, it was their first joint appearance this year.
Images: Instagram