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The mother of an inspirational teenage photographer who shared a heartfelt hug with the Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle has revealed the touching lengths Kate and William took to make her feel welcome.
Liz Hatton, who captured global attention by photographing an investiture as part of her bucket list, died of a rare cancer last month.
Her mother, Vicky Robayna, has opened up about the meeting, praising the royal couple for their kindness and thoughtfulness in creating a special experience for Liz and her eight-year-old brother, Mateo.
“They really went out of their way to include Mateo and made him feel every bit as important as she was,” Ms Robayna said, reflecting on the touching interaction between the Prince and Princess of Wales and Liz’s younger brother.
“Liz was not scared of dying but was terrified of leaving her brother behind, so she wanted to make memories with him that he would have for the rest of his life. The Prince and Princess made that possible.”
She told the Daily Mirror that meeting with the royal couple brought the 17-year-old from Harrogate into the public eye and gave her the chance to achieve her goals in her final months of life.
Kensington Palace said William found out about Liz through the London Air Ambulance Charity of which he is patron. Liz was then invited by the prince to take photos of investiture recipients receiving their honours from William.
As part of her bucket list, the Yorkshire teenager went on to photograph comedian Michael McIntyre, circus performers, the Royal Ballet, models from the Storm Model Agency, London Air Ambulances from a helipad, hotel doormen, the red carpet at the MTV Europe Music Awards and joined acclaimed British photographer Rankin to lead a fashion shoot.
“All any parent wants is for their child’s dreams to come true, and the Prince and Princess of Wales were a big part in making that happen,” she said.
“Liz’s final two months with us were the happiest we have ever seen her, and a lot of that was down to their kindness – we truly can’t thank them enough.”
She died at home on November 27 with her mother revealing she had left “a gaping Liz-shaped hole in our lives that I am not sure how we will ever fill”.
The 17-year-old fulfilled what her mother described as her “biggest wish”, spending two days with Los Angeles-based portrait photographer David Suh, who flew from the US to work with her.
Her hard work culminated in her own photography exhibition, which opened in London this month.
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