JANE ATKINSON
Princess Kate needed the heartfelt hug as much as girl, 16, with rare tumour
Kate had always shown love and kindness, fairness and compassion for others
IT is a heartfelt hug, shared by two people whose lives have been hit by cancer, tightly holding each other in solidarity.
They know the fear of being told you have cancer and of enduring gruelling treatment.
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Those who haven’t been in their shoes can never truly understand in the way photographer Liz Hatton and the Princess of Wales have been forced to.
On the surface these two women have little in common.
One is a 16-year-old from North Yorkshire and the other is our future Queen, but as they embraced, their differences fell away.
She may be a princess, but as Kate gently leant in, it was a moment of sheer human — and not just royal — empathy.
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And it was clear that Kate needed that hug just as much as Liz did.
Kate had always shown love and kindness, fairness and compassion for others.
She had the life experiences thanks to the support of her loving, solid family and attending one of the best schools in the country, which helped her excel not only in academia but sport too.
She found love with the most eligible man in the country and her down-to-earth attitude has meant they have given their children a happy, carefree childhood unlike any young royals have ever had before.
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Her life appeared to be picture- perfect — if you exclude her wayward brother-in-law and his wife from the picture.
But in January her apparently gilded world changed for ever in the cruellest and most terrifying of ways when she fell ill.
Royal expert speaks on Princess Kate's first public appearance
She bravely revealed her cancer diagnosis and last month went in front of the camera again to talk of her relief at “finally” completing chemotherapy.
Tragically — and in the most cruel and brutal of ways — Kate now truly understands those who have lived with that pain and in fear; those who have undergone surgery, chemo and terrifying hospital visits.
She stands shoulder to shoulder with anyone worried for the future and forced to have heartbreaking, tough conversations with their tiny children.
And she can empathise with so many in a way that she couldn’t possibly do before.
I am sure she wishes she didn’t have that life experience. And all of us wish she didn’t either.
Wednesday was the first time she was pictured back at work in Windsor Castle with young photographer Liz, who has a rare and aggressive type of cancer.
When William heard Liz had a bucket list of things she wanted to fulfil, he invited her to take photos of an investiture and afterwards introduced her and her family to Kate.
They chatted and then they had that hug. Liz said it was “mind- blowing”, adding: “We didn’t discuss anything to do with cancer.
“They definitely had a lot of empathy, both of them, and they were just so human and kind.”
In that moment Kate wasn’t a royal princess.
She was just a human, a mum-of-three who knows what it feels like to be vulnerable and scared, and in need of a hug.
I hope as she continues her royal duties she finds comfort from those she meets, just as she did when she met this courageous teenage girl.
OP’S A BRIDGE TOO FAR
IT’S clear from the last few weeks that every- body loves a freebie.
And the latest who appears to have bagged one is ex-Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge.
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He had a hair transplant, which seems to have been handed over in exchange for an excruciating PR video.
Set to soft music, it shows a doctor drawing felt tip on the former England star’s head and the actual op taking place as hairs are implanted.
Wayne is worth about £7million so I’m not sure why he bothered with a freebie. Or the transplant.
Think Jason Statham, Pep Guardiola, Stanley Tucci.
Embrace the bald!
HOMESICK expat travelled 690 miles to the UK for less than three hours just to have a cheeky Nando’s.
Mark Rofe, 34, flew from Barcelona to Gatwick, where he bought a chicken wrap and ate it on the way back because the company has no branches there.
The entire trip, including flights, meal and sauces, cost £95.39.
Next time, Mark, why don’t you use that bottle of sauce, nip to Carrefour and make your own to save £90?
Because unlike the Colonel, who keeps the KFC recipe a secret, Nando’s gives them all away online.
A BUM NOTE
AM I the only person who totally and utterly detests voice notes?
A recent survey found that recorded messages are becoming more and more popular.
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But the endless twittering by someone who can’t be bothered to type a few words or lift the phone for a call is infuriating.
I have tried and failed to find a way to turn them off in WhatsApp.
I can’t.
So very annoying.
FAT CHANCE OF END TO SKINNY SAGA
THE skinny jab controversy rumbles on.
Who is on it but lying about it?
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Who is on it and has had too much of it? And who isn’t on it, but should be?
There were stick-thin models on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week last week.
Singer Christina Aguilera’s dramatic weight loss horrified fans.
Many speculated the 43-year-old’s tiny frame is starkly different to her previous look and could be down to Ozempic injections.
And now a new weight-loss jab is on the way.
Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, will be offered on the NHS to a quarter of a million people over the next three years.
Soon there will be no need for slimming clubs or plus-size clothes.
Imagine in decades to come, kids will ask: “Mummy, what did it mean in the olden days to be ‘fat’?”
HIT US FOR SIX FRED
SUPER, smashing, great. Freddie Flintoff is to host Bullseye as the classic telly darts contest returns for a Christmas special.
For those too young to remember, it was the best family show of the Eighties, with brilliant catchphrases courtesy of host Jim Bowen.
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He loved to tell losers: “Let’s have a look at what you could have won!”
Arrows fan Freddie says he can’t believe he’s getting to host it.
I hope the show is a huge hit and the cricket legend lands a full series . . . because you can’t beat a bit of Bully!
FORCES’ WAR ON WOMEN
IS it any wonder that less than 12 per cent of recruits to the UK Armed Forces are women?
I wouldn’t want any female I cared about to sign up because it sounds terrifying.
Not because of the danger of fighting for King and country – but because of the fear of what your colleagues might do to you.
In 2021 a parliamentary report found almost two-thirds of women in the military had experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination during their career and said top brass was “failing to protect” female recruits.
Then last year, two investigations showed this was still going on within the elite Red Arrows display team.
And on Friday it was revealed that the Royal Navy has sacked 21 sailors following a major probe into sex abuse and bullying claims – because it is STILL going on.
A two-year probe exposed rampant misogyny, and whistleblower Sophie Brook said when she served on nuclear subs one officer put his manhood in her pocket and comrades compiled a “crush depth rape list”, which is where women and men are marked in the order they would be raped in a catastrophic event.
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Utterly depraved.
This bullying culture must be eradicated for good, or soon no women will sign up at all.
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