British royal family: Princess Kate pays tribute to 17-year-old after death from cancer

Prince William and his wife Princess Kate expressed their sadness over the death of a young woman from cancer with a personal message. The heir to the British throne met 17-year-old Liz Hatton at Windsor Castle just two months ago – a few weeks earlier, Kate had announced that she had finished her own chemotherapy.

Now the 42-year-old and her husband said they were sad that Hatton had died. “It was an honor to have met such a brave and humble young woman,” it said on social media. The message was signed “W & C” – for William and Catherine. The couple expressed their condolences to the young woman’s family.

According to the British news agency PA, Hatton had a rare and aggressive form of cancer. After her diagnosis, the photographer fulfilled many of her “bucket list” – that’s what you call a list of things you want to have done before you die. Hatton photographed the Royal Ballet, models, rescue workers and hotel porters.

“Liz had her own exhibition last week, the perfect culmination of her incredible achievements,” PA quoted her mother as saying in a statement. “As I walked around and looked at her pictures, thinking about the circumstances under which many were taken, I admired her even more than I ever had before.”

At Windsor Castle, Hatton photographed William honoring cyclist Mark Cavendish. There she also met Kate, who hugged her. Kensington Palace published photos of the meeting at the time. Kate herself was being treated for an unspecified cancer diagnosis. Also her father-in-law King Charles III. had been diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of the year.