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Kate Middleton and Prince William are mourning the death of Liz Hatton, the teenage cancer patient who inspired the royals after meeting her in October.
Hatton passed away Wednesday at the age of 17 after battling a rare form of cancer.
She and her family met the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle on Oct. 2, who helped fulfill part of the teen’s photography “bucket list” dream.
On Thursday, William and Kate, both 42, shared an emotional statement on their social media accounts paying tribute to Hatton.
“We are so sorry to hear that Liz Hatton has sadly passed away,” they wrote. “It was an honour to have met such a brave and humble young woman.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Liz’s parents Vicky and Aaron and her brother Mateo at this unimaginably difficult time.”
The royals signed their post “W & C,” the initials of their first names that they add to statements to indicate that the message is more personal and comes directly from them.
Though commonly known as “Kate,” the Princess of Wales officially goes by “Catherine.”
Kate and Hatton made global headlines after the future queen shared a photo of her and the young photographer hugging during their Oct. 2 meeting.
Three weeks earlier, Princess Kate announced she was “cancer free” and had completed the chemotherapy she began after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in March.
Hatton received her cancer diagnosis in January after doctors discovered she had an aggressive desmoplastic small round cell tumor. According to the BBC, doctors told her she had anywhere between six months to three years to live.
William and Kate invited Hatton to Windsor Castle to photograph an investiture ceremony, an event in which members of the royal family bestow honors to individuals for various outstanding achievements.
Hatton’s mother, Vicky Robyana, shared the sad news of her daughter’s death on Wednesday in a post on X.
“Our incredible daughter Liz died in the early hours of this morning. She remained determined to the last. Even yesterday she was still making plans,” Robyana wrote. “We are so very proud of the kindness, empathy and courage she has shown in the last year.”
“She was not only a phenomenal photographer, she was the best human, and the most wonderful daughter and big sister we could ever have asked for. No one could have fought harder for life than she did,” Robyana continued.
“There is a gaping Liz-shaped hole in our lives that I am not sure how we will ever fill. We have so much gratitude to every single one of you, whether you offered to help, or liked or shared posts — you ensured Liz’s last two months were her very best. She flew high until the end.”
Hatton’s invite to photograph Will leading the investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle came after Robyana made an appeal on social media for any “photography based opportunities” that could “create a lifetime of memories” for her daughter and help complete the teen’s “photography bucket list” in the time she had left.
Kate, a self-described “enthusiastic amateur photographer” and the patron of the Royal Photographic Society, and Prince William shared photos of their meet and greet with Liz on social media.
“A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today. A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both,” the pair said.
“Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us. ❤️ W&C.”
Hatton posted her personal thoughts about the day on Instagram.
“Such a lovely, genuine and kind people, I’m over the moon that my family and I had this experience,” the teenager wrote on her Instagram story under a photo of herself hugging the Princess Catherine.
Hatton spoke further about the experience meeting the royals the following day during an interview with BBC Radio 4. “Talking to them was amazing ‘cause it was like talking to anyone, like just a normal person,” she said. “There was no sort of grandeur about them, there was just humanity and kindness.”
Hatton’s mother has asked that people remember her daughter by sharing one of her photos “on your social media, or in real life, however you can.”
“Let’s let her go out with a bang,” Robyana wrote on X.
She asked anyone posting on social media to use the hashtag #LizHatton.
The family has also called on the public help their fight to fund research into desmoplastic small round cell tumor.
“Whether you can share, donate or raise funds – please be our village one more time,” Robyana added.
She also linked a GoFundMe page she created to raise funds for research into the rare cancer.
“Let’s make this the last item on her bucket list and make sure other families don’t face a similar fate,” she concluded.