A mother and her son have recalled the moment - 25 years ago - when Princess Diana consoled them at a children’s hospital, just months before she was tragically killed in a horrific car crash.
The Princess died following a collision in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997. Six months earlier, she visited Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where she met 18-month-old Tudor Morgan-Huggett and his mother Jill. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
At that stage, Tudor had spent most of his life in hospital with a rare birth defect that left him unable to breathe or swallow food safely. Now aged 27, he and his mother have reflected on the amazing day they met Diana, and how she will always have a special place in their hearts.
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“Tudor was sitting with the princess, looking around and taking it all in,” Jill told the Mirror Online. “Then, all of a sudden, he handed Diana his most precious thing in the whole wide world – Flopsy, his soft toy bunny. He gave it to her and everyone said, ‘Awwww’. The princess was wearing a small golden heart on her lapel. She was talking to Tudor and said, ‘Shall we put the heart on Flopsy?’ She did, and he took the teddy back.
“It was an incredibly sweet moment of connection between Diana and my little boy. He still has Flopsy and we still have the heart badge somewhere safe. We’ll never forget that day. We’re very privileged to have met her. Tudor spent most of his younger years in hospital. We would spend months at a time there so for that to happen was amazing. It lifted all of our moods. We didn’t know she was coming until the day before. A lady came and asked us if it would be OK if we met this very important person. We were all speculating who it could be – a film star? A politician?
“The princess was wonderful. She sat with us for about half an hour. She was very interested in the fact I had to leave my children back in Chepstow and how hard it must be, being away from home. It was such a boost for a mum going through so much. It was just like two mums having a cosy chat over a coffee. She told us about Prince William having a toy like Flopsy, called Kanga.
“She was rubbing Tudor’s leg and spoke to him how a mother talks to a child. She was very tender with him. Even at that young age, Tudor realised something special was happening. He was so happy. He kept smiling at her because she was very gently talking to him. It was amazing. An absolute honour. She gave off this wonderful warmth. She was stunning.”
Tudor was born with tracheo-oesophageal fistula atresia, which is where the windpipe and gullet are not properly connected. He had 27 cardiac arrests as a baby and needed oxygen 24 hours a day until he was 11 years old. He’s had a total of 97 operations in total, but now works as a service administrator for a forklift company and loves playing football and cricket.
He said: “Looking back, I was one of the lucky ones. It was a privilege to meet such a very important person on that day. I have watched every single thing about Princess Diana since. I’m a huge fan – the whole family are as well. We still talk about her and talk about what happened that day.
“It is amazing what she did for the country and tragic what happened in 1997. For her sons William and Harry to lose their mum was awful. I’ll be raising a glass to her on the anniversary of her death. I’ll think of how proud we are of what she did, and of meeting her. Diana was famous for her charity work, and that inspired me to be actively involved with charities too. I’ve run a half marathon to raise money and we just held a golf tournament. It is important to us as a family, inspired by the princess.”
Mother Jill added: “I will be thinking of Diana on the anniversary of her death. We were one of the chosen ones, lucky enough to have met her. We will be thinking of her family… her boys. She was a special woman.”
Pay tribute to Princess Diana on the 25th anniversary of her death by visiting our website Remembering Diana or in the comments below.
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