Kate Middleton Made A Thoughtful Donation To Cancer Charity Years Before Her Diagnosis
Years before Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed her own cancer diagnosis, she wanted to help cancer patients. With this in mind, she made an incredibly thoughtful donation to the Little Princess Trust in 2017. Besides offering financial support for cancer research initiatives, the organization creates wigs for young people who have lost their hair, with many of the recipients having undergone cancer treatment. This service is completely free for patients.
Kate reportedly donated seven inches of hair trimmed during a haircut from her stylist, Joey Wheeler, which is the minimum length that Little Princess Trust accepts. It seems that Kate wanted the donation to remain anonymous, as one insider told Express, "It was sent using someone else's name, so that the trust didn't know it was from a royal source — they just thought it was from a female donor in the Kensington area." It was eventually discovered that Kate was behind the gesture, though she declined to comment on the matter. Still, Little Princess Trust praised her generosity, which was not the first time she helped cancer patients.
Kate's donation helped raise awareness about the charity
Catherine, Princess of Wales, donating hair to Little Princess Trust helped others learn about the organization. Months after the strands were received and used to create the wigs, a spokesperson for Little Princess Trust spoke with People in January 2018, expressing gratitude for the bundle of locks and suggesting that multiple recipients may have benefitted from Kate's mane. "It's a really lovely thought and it's fantastic for raising awareness, plus it's gorgeous hair — we all lust after that hair!" they shared.
This isn't the only way the princess has shown support for cancer patients. In December 2010, she and her then-boyfriend, William, Princes of Wales, attended the Thursford's Christmas Spectacular. The fundraising event was thrown to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. That evening brought in £35,000 which was designated for a new cancer unit for patients at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. The couple met with several young patients living with the disease. Teenage Cancer Trust later thanked William and Kate for lending their presence to a great cause.
Kate's health battle has prompted others to learn more about cancer
When Catherine, Princess of Wales, made her cancer diagnosis public in March 2024, it sparked a wave of public interest. Britain's National Health Service revealed that within 24 hours of her video, their cancer information page received 2,840 visits — more than four times the traffic the week before Kate announced her diagnosis (via Express). Similarly, traffic on the NHS' page listing common cancer symptoms spiked in the hours following Kate's video announcement. Other organizations, including Macmillan Cancer Support, one of England's largest healthcare charities, also experienced a surge of visitors.
It looks like the care Kate showed to cancer patients is now being shown to her by royal watchers. While she didn't disclose the type of cancer she had been diagnosed with, Kate said in her announcement that she had begun undergoing preventative chemotherapy. This led to an outpouring of love from the public as many rushed to send the princess cards to express their sympathy and support.