The mother of Liz Hatton, the terminally ill 17-year-old photographer who inspired the Princess of Wales, has revealed the family’s heartbreaking Christmas plans in light of her daughter’s health battle.
Vicky Robayna, who traveled to Windsor Castle with Liz, said they will “celebrate Christmas early as a family” because “we know we are short on time right now” in an emotional post on X.
Vicky’s update on Liz’s condition comes after the aspiring photographer, who is battling desmoplastic small round cell tumour, a rare and extremely aggressive form of cancer, launched her own photography exhibition in London last week .
The teenager from Harrogate, Yorkshire, made headlines last month after she was invited to photograph an investiture, where she met the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Liz, who now reportedly has weeks to live, spoke to Kate about their mutual passion for photography and they shared a warm hug, a tender moment that was documented in photographs later shared by Kensington Palace.
Liz’s meeting with Kate was the first time the princess was photographed since she announced she was planning a slow and measured return to work following her own cancer diagnosis in February.
Reflecting on Liz’s indomitable spirit and her many achievements since being diagnosed with cancer, her proud mother Vicky shared that Liz has become “more and more tired” since last week’s exposure.
Writing in X, he said: ‘Liz had her own exhibition last week, the perfect culmination of her incredible achievements.
Liz Hatton, the teenager with cancer who met Kate at Windsor Castle earlier this year, will celebrate Christmas with her family this weekend, her mother has revealed.
“As I walked around looking at her photographs, thinking about the circumstances under which many were taken, I was more in awe of her than ever.”
Vicky said last week’s exhibition triumph was “accompanied by the fact that Liz is getting more and more tired”, explaining the family’s decision to celebrate Christmas earlier than usual this year.
She wrote: ‘At the end of this week, we will celebrate Christmas early as a family. We know our time is short now.
“To everyone who has supported her work and encouraged her from afar, please know how much you mean to us,” she continued, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of love and support for her daughter since her story came to light.
Vicky concluded: ‘He has lived a wonderful life and that is largely down to you. Thank you.’
It is understood that it is the wish of Liz’s little brother Matteo to celebrate with their mother, father Aaron and sister Liz while they can.
Liz, pictured with her mother Vicky, stepfather Aaron and little brother Mateo at Disneyland.
Liz is an aspiring photographer and has been fulfilling her bucket list for the past few months. In the photo from the Venom premiere.
Her post was accompanied by a stunning, smiling photo of Liz, dressed in a burgundy sweater and holding her camera – one that has captured the nation’s heart.
X users sent their “love and best wishes to the family” in the comments section, with one person writing: “Liz is an extraordinary young woman and a great credit to you.”
Another comment read: ‘What Liz has achieved is absolutely amazing. I send you my love and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas celebration.’
A third user added: ‘Liz and your whole family are a huge inspiration to us all. She has achieved so much in such a short time and despite what you are all going through, you remain positive and determined to make the most of it.
“Have a wonderful celebration and make more memories to cherish.”
The teenage cancer patient was invited to Windsor Castle in October after William learned of her diagnosis and her love of photography.
However, Liz told MailOnline she had no idea her invitation included a private meeting with the Prince and Princess of Wales, describing the day as “truly incredible”.
She said: “Of course I didn’t expect something like this to happen – I didn’t even expect to be able to fulfill anything on my original wish list, let alone additions like this that were beyond our wildest imagination.”
‘The day was really incredible. I was practically in shock every two minutes when they told us what we were going to do, especially when the Prince and Princess walked into the room.
‘So I feel beyond honored to have had this experience and very grateful that my family was able to come along and experience it too.
Vicky, who was at the gathering along with her husband Aaron, Liz’s stepfather, and her younger brother Mateo, eight, previously revealed to the Mail that her daughter and Catherine spent “a lot of time talking about photography.”
“She was really lovely and asked Liz lots of questions about things she would like to photograph, which was very nice of her,” he added.
‘They didn’t talk about his health. Liz is keen to say that her cancer does not define her. Then they spent time talking about the things they enjoyed.
‘The princess asked many charming questions; in fact, they were both very good, especially including our little one in the conversation. They were such lovely, kind and genuine people. ‘
Liz was diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT), which is a rare type of cancer that develops in the soft tissues of the abdomen and pelvis, in January.
Speaking to Good Morning Britai host Rob Rinder, alongside her mother Vicky Robayna, Liz shared how the family coped with her diagnosis.
The brave teenager said: “We just have to try to stay positive because what’s the point of wasting the little time I have left?”
Vicky added: “Because Liz’s cancer went to her liver, we knew her chances of survival were zero, so it was really important that we lived each day as if it were our last.”
‘When we ask how we do it, we don’t think about anything other than the next interesting thing we have planned. If we look into the future, that’s too scary and we’d sit in bed and not get up.’
Liz, who said she is not afraid of dying, said she was given the option to continue with chemotherapy or stop receiving treatment.
She said: ‘Because the chances of them working are so slim, I wanted to spend time with my family and enjoy the time I have left, rather than spending it stuck in hospital and feeling even worse and dealing with side effects.
“I chose to stop my chemotherapy and just live my life at home and deal with whatever comes.”
The talented amateur photographer made a photography bucket list after being diagnosed in January, and said she could have between six months and three years to live.
He has been living out his bucket list, in which he hoped to photograph behind the scenes of a West End show and film set.
GMB said West End musical Six heard about Liz’s list and invited her to photograph the cast and pre-show warm-up.
In another ‘bucket list’ moment for the teen, Liz was spotted last month working alongside photographers to capture celebrities attending the UK premiere of Tom Hardy’s Venom: The Last Dance.
Liz told the Mail she hadn’t even considered putting meeting the royals on her bucket list.
She said: “It was great to talk to Princess Catherine about photography because I know she loves it and it’s always great to talk about what you love or enjoy and of course photography is my passion.” ‘
Elsewhere, he joked that the experience of meeting the Princess of Wales was “mind-blowing”.
The meeting came about, her mother Vicky explained, after someone working for the London Air Ambulance charity, of which Prince William is a patron, saw a social media post she had posted on her daughter’s behalf earlier in the day. this year asking for help completing their ‘wish list’.
“Then they contacted the Palace, who invited her in June, but they could not attend the appointment because she was receiving chemotherapy those days,” she told the Mail.
“But they were really lovely and said not to worry, they would try again.” That invitation was to take photos of the investiture, we didn’t know anything about the meeting with the Prince and Princess. She was very excited about all of this anyway.
‘They kept in touch and a couple of weeks ago asked him if he could attend the 2nd October. We absolutely said you could! We went out thinking I was going to take photos of the investiture and we ended up meeting the prince and princess and we spent about half an hour chatting with them. Which was really amazing.”
Following their meeting with Liz, William and Kate thanked the budding photographer for “sharing his photos and story with us” in a message posted on Kensington Palace’s official social media channels.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet Liz today in Windsor. A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both. Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us. Toilet.’
After their meeting, Vicky told The Times that Kensington Palace is “checking on a daily basis” to check on the family after doctors said Liz is now between “three and four weeks old.”
“It’s not clear how much time I have left or how long I will live,” Liz told the outlet.
But the truth is that it will not be like this for a long time. And so 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.
“And spend it with the people you love.”