NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Every November, a special flower blooms in Vicky Robayna\u2019s garden in northern England \u2014 a living tribute to her late daughter, Liz Hatton.\n<\/p>\n
The Ice N Roses Early Rose was a heartfelt gift from two remarkable supporters during the family\u2019s cancer journey: Kate Middleton<\/a> and\u00a0Prince William<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Photographer Liz\u2019s mission to fulfill a bucket list of assignments before succumbing to her rare and aggressive abdominal cancer gained profound resonance after being embraced by the royal couple. Liz died in November 2024 at just 17<\/a>, leaving a lasting inspiration worldwide, especially for Princess Kate, who was undergoing her own cancer treatment<\/a> for an undisclosed form of cancer at the time.\n<\/p>\n The journey began when Liz\u2019s mother, Vicky, made a heartfelt plea on social media to help her daughter pursue her dream of photography. Through a contact at an air ambulance charity supported by Prince William, the royal team learned of Liz\u2019s story and invited her to photograph a royal event at Windsor Castle \u2014 capturing the moment William presented honors to deserving Britons.\n<\/p>\n Princess Kate’s hug for Liz Hatton at Windsor Castle in October 2024.<\/p>\n Andrew Parsons \/ Kensington Palace<\/p>\n During that visit, Kate, who was also undergoing chemotherapy at the time, surprised Liz and warmly embraced her brother Mateo and their parents.\n<\/p>\n \u201cLiz always said they were two of the most genuine people she ever met, and I think they were just so kind and so down to earth,” Vicky tells PEOPLE.\n<\/p>\n “They were very good with both the children. Liz would have said that her favorite part of the whole experience was the way they were with Mateo. He was really shy and they had him chatting away at the end. She really loved them for that,” she adds.\n<\/p>\n The family felt enveloped in care and support by the royal couple and their attentive staff.\n<\/p>\n “It felt like walking into an extended family and having arms wrapped around you,” Vicky tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Liz had been diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumor, a rare sarcoma with little research or awareness. In response, Vicky and her husband Aaron founded Capture<\/a>, the world\u2019s first charity dedicated to the disease, raising over $163,000 since November 2024 via its fundraising page<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWithout the princess\u2019s support, we wouldn\u2019t have raised nearly as much awareness or funding,\u201d Vicky says. \u201cLiz\u2019s story reached the world because of them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Vicky Robayna, Aaron and Mateo thank Princess Kate for her support, at Buckingham Palace on May 20, 2025.<\/p>\n Aaron Chown – WPA Pool \/ Getty\u00a0<\/p>\n The support from Kate has been ongoing. Vicky and her family were invited to Kate\u2019s holiday carol service<\/a> at Westminster Abbey in December 2024, and a garden party at Buckingham Palace <\/a>in May, when they were able to tell the royal couple how much they appreciated their support.\n<\/p>\n Through it all, Vicky says her daughter\u2019s passion for photography remained unwavering. Liz also wanted the world to know how kind Kate had been to her and to show that her illness never stood in the way of fulfilling her bucket list dreams.\n<\/p>\n “She just relished every single opportunity she had. She could sleep a lot of the time, but as soon as you put a camera in her hand, she was off and running and very much alive and enjoying every moment,\u201d she tells PEOPLE.\n<\/p>\n For more on Princess Kate’s summer of strength as she continues her recovery from cancer, pick up a copy of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.\n<\/p>\n \u201cShe wanted people to know about her cancer because it\u2019s so rare,\u201d Vicky adds. \u201cBut she also did it because she wanted people to know how kind the princess had been to her.”\n<\/p>\n Vicky says her daughter was disheartened by the negative treatment Kate received online during the royal\u2019s diagnosis.\n<\/p>\n “She was very upset at the time about how certain elements of the media and social media had treated the princess for not revealing more information,” she says. ”\n<\/p>\n That really upset Liz because she said it should be each individual\u2019s choice what they say about their health,” she continues. “She wanted to tell the world how incredible the princess was and how kind and lovely she was.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Kate and Prince William talk to Liz Hatton’s brother Mateo at Buckingham Palace, London on May 20, 2025.<\/p>\n AARON CHOWN\/POOL\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n Vicky adds, \u201cWhen Liz was first diagnosed, she was really scared about what death would look like and terrified that it would be painful and that she would spend a long time in a hospital bed.”\n<\/p>\n “But I hope we have shown other young people with a similar prognosis that palliative care can be about living,” she continues. “They can go out there and live their dreams until the very last moment. Liz was taking photos until five days before she died.\u201d\n<\/p>\n