Catherine, Princess of Wales helped make Liz Hatton the "happiest" she had ever been during the last two months of her life.
The aspiring photographer passed away in November at the age of just 17 following a battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer but had managed to live out her dreams when her initial meeting with the Prince and Princess of Wales allowed her to photograph celebrities on the red carpet, and now her mother has thanked the royal couple for how they brought her daughter to prominence.
Victoria Robayna, 43, told The Mirror: “Liz was still independent and loving life until the very end, which is exactly how she would have chosen it to be. We could n ot have asked for it to have been a better way for Liz.
"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.
"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.
“Before that day at Windsor Castle Liz had had some opportunities, but the meeting really brought her into the public eye and allowed her dreams to become reality."
Liz was invited to photograph an investiture after her mother shared the teenager's "photography bucket list" to X, with William hearing about the viral post through the London Air Ambulance Charity, of which he serves as patron.
She then had a private meeting with the couple, with Catherine - who announced in September that she had completed her preventative chemotherapy treatment after undergoing abdominal surgery earlier in the year - photographed embracing Liz.
Catherine and William were amongst the first to pay tribute to the tragic teenager shortly after her death was announced.
In a personal message shared to their Instagram Story, the couple wrote: "We are so sorry to hear that Liz Hatton has sadly passed away.
"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. W and C." (sic)
