Kate, Princess of Wales, pictured meeting ‘inspiring’ teen with rare and aggressive form of cancer
The Prince and Princess of Wales have met with a teenage photographer with a rare and aggressive form of cancer after inviting her to take pictures at Windsor Castle.
Kate, who recently announced she had completed chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, was pictured hugging 16-year-old Liz Hatton from Harrogate.
In a personal message on social media, William and Kate said: “A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today.
“A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both. Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us. W&C.”
The teenager also uploaded some images of the meeting in an Instagram story post on her own account.
She wrote: “Such lovely, genuine and kind people, I’m over the moon that my family and I had this experience.”
Liz also posted a photograph she took of cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish being knighted by the Prince of Wales on Wednesday.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with Liz Hatton (centre), her mother Vicky, stepfather Aaron and brother Mateo. Pic: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
The teenager was diagnosed with desmoplastic small round cell tumours in January, prompting her to post a “bucket list” online of all the things she wanted to photograph.
The disease is an extremely rare form of cancer which usually occurs in the abdomen, according to Sarcoma UK. The charity says around 12 cases are diagnosed every year in England.
Her mother, Vicky Roboyna, said in June that doctors had told her daughter she had between six months and three years to live.
Kensington Palace said Prince William found out about Liz’s story via the London Air Ambulance Charity, of which he is patron.
“Following the investiture, both the Prince and Princess of Wales met Liz privately with her family to hear about her day and journey,” a Palace spokesperson said.
In September, Princess Kate announced she had completed chemotherapy treatment and said her focus was on staying “cancer free”.
In a video, the royal said: “As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment.
“The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.”
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UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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