Prince William and Kate Middleton attended their first garden party since 2023 on Tuesday, May 20, and among the thousands of people at the Buckingham Palace event were some very special guests. The Prince and Princess of Wales had the chance to reunite with the family of teenage photographer Liz Hatton, who the couple chose to take photos at an investiture last year as part of her cancer bucket list. Sadly, the 17-year-old passed away less than two months after their Oct. 2 meeting, but her parents and brother got to give some gifts to the prince and princess in honor of Liz this week—and it sounds like Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis might be stealing them.
The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a sweet moment with Liz's parents, Aaron and Vicky Robayna, and 9-year-old brother, Mateo, at the garden party. Mateo proudly presented the royal couple with two Jellycat plushes, giving Kate a small tarte au citron design with an adorable smiley face and William a pickled onion with tiny legs.
The two stuffed animals were chosen personally by Mateo because they reminded him of his sister. Vicky explained to the Daily Mail that "Liz loved all things pickled,” and the lemon tart was chosen by Mateo because she'd been given a piece of lemon drizzle cake at the palace when she met William and Kate.
Knowing how much she enjoyed the dessert, the Prince and Princess of Wales had royal chefs bring her a piece during their encounter at Windsor Castle, and per the media outlet, "Liz later declared it the best she had ever eaten—and even towards the end of her life would still talk about how amazing it was."
"It matches my dress, how did you know?" the Princess of Wales said about her lemon yellow plush, which coordinated with the Emilia Wickstead dress and floral-trimmed Philip Treacy hat she wore to the garden party.
The pickled onion toy is part of Jellycat's fish and chips line, and Kate said, "We talked about it. When I see the fish and chips Jellycat, I think of her." The Prince of Wales beamed as he looked down at the little pickled onion plush, declaring, "My children will love these. They are children’s currency."
The Wales kids have long been Jellycat fans; a photo of a six-month-old Princess Charlotte playing with a puppy toy from the brand was released by the palace in 2015.
Liz, who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, loved the brand's plushes and Mateo told William and Kate that "she would give them to people who 'made her happy,'" per the Daily Mail. It seems Mateo's gift honored his sister's memory perfectly.
"She really made the most of everything," the Princess of Wales said to Liz's family. "I loved her creativity all the way through. If you need any help fundraising, maybe I can help. Please stay in touch, really."
