Teen photographer who ‘inspired’ Princess Kate dies

The Princess of Wales met then-16-year-old Liz Hatton, who battled a rare type of cancer. Photo / @princeandprincessofwales
The teen was described as a “talented young photographer” by Kate Middleton.
Liz Hatton, the teenage photographer with cancer who met the Princess of Wales in October, has died aged 17.
She died at home on Wednesday morning (local time) surrounded by her loved ones, including her mother, Vicky Robayna, her stepfather Aaron and her younger brother, Mateo.
Liz, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, had been suffering with desmoplastic small round cell tumour, a rare and aggressive form of cancer with no standard path of treatment.
She was “still making plans” until the end, her mother said.
The young photographer, who was invited to Windsor Castle to privately meet the Prince and Princess of Wales after photographing an investiture in October, had spent the last few months of her life fulfilling her bucket list of dreams.
Our incredible daughter Liz died in the early hours of this morning. She remained determined to the last. Even yesterday she was still making plans. We are so very proud of the kindness, empathy and courage she has shown in the last year. She was not only a phenomenal… pic.twitter.com/HbmyJYp0XD
On Monday, her mother posted on X that Liz had hosted her own photography exhibition earlier this month, but had become “increasingly tired”.
She explained that the family planned to celebrate Christmas early because “we know our time is short now”.
On Wednesday, Robayna paid tribute to her “incredible daughter,” saying she “flew high until the end”.
She said her death had left “a gaping Liz-shaped hole in our lives that I am not sure how we will ever fill.”
Writing on the social media site, she said: “Our incredible daughter Liz died in the early hours of this morning. She remained determined to the last.
“Even yesterday, she was still making plans. We are so very proud of the kindness, empathy and courage she has shown in the last year.
“She was not only a phenomenal photographer, she was the best human and the most wonderful daughter and big sister we could ever have asked for.
“No one could have fought harder for life than she did. There is a gaping Liz-shaped hole in our lives that I am not sure how we will ever fill.”
Liz had her very own exhibition last week, the perfect culmination of her incredible achievements. As I walked around looking at her pictures thinking about the circumstances many were taken under I was more in awe of her than ever. It has taken a while for me to update on here… pic.twitter.com/AtJv51jtF5
Liz was an avid photographer and began her photography bucket list appeal in January after being given between six months and three years to live.
In the last months of her life, she fulfilled the majority of her list, including photographing a West End show, hosting a photo shoot of professional models, having her own photography exhibition and meeting leaders in the field, including Rankin.
Liz previously told The Telegraph of the inspiration behind her bucket list journey: “I want my siblings in particular, to know that there’s always a bright side, you don’t have to sit and be miserable.
“Because I don’t want the people I love to sit and be miserable when I’m gone, I want them to look on the bright side and still be able to smile in darkness.”
Robayna asked people to share one of Liz’s photos in tribute, under the hashtag #LizHatton, and also to support the family’s mission to fund research into Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumour, which has no charity specialising in the disease in the UK.
She has set up a fundraising page with a goal of raising £100,000 ($214,950).
The Princess of Wales, who herself was treated for cancer this year, and Prince William, in a personal message earlier in the autumn, described Liz as a “talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both”.
Liz was joined at the Windsor Castle investiture by her mother, stepfather Aaron and brother Mateo.
As part of her bucket list, she went on to photograph comedian Michael McIntyre, circus performers, the Royal Ballet, models from the Storm Model Agency, the London Air Ambulances from a helipad, hotel doormen, the red carpet at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Rankin previously paid tribute to her skill, telling the BBC: “The photos Liz has created … are really sophisticated images … She understands that it’s a creation.”