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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Lisa McLoughlin

Zoe Ball shares Prince William’s moving letter to her mum before she died

Zoe Ball has revealed Prince William reached out to her with a heartfelt letter while her mother Julia was battling cancer and wrote again following her death last year.

The BBC Radio 2 presenter, 54, took time off from her breakfast show in April 2024 after her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer.

Speaking on her Dig It! podcast with co-host Jo Whiley, Ball recalled the touching moment she shared the royal’s words with her mum.

“Prince William wrote to me when my mum was poorly,” she said. “He wrote the most beautiful letter and he wrote to me again after we lost mum.

“There was a really amazing moment when mum was really, really poorly, and I went up to see her. My brother was there. I said, ‘Mum, we’ve had a letter.’

“I read her Prince William’s letter. And at the time he was going through his own difficulties with both his father and his lovely wife going through their cancer journey,” the presenter explained.

The broadcaster speaking on her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley (YouTube/Dig It)

“I thought it was so kind of him to take the time to write. And it meant the world to her. She loved that letter.”

The broadcaster shared that the Prince of Wales sent a second letter after her mother’s passing, calling it another gesture that moved her deeply.

Ball said she was reminded of the prince’s kindness after watching his recent interview with actor Eugene Levy on Apple TV, adding that his empathy during such a difficult time “spoke volumes about his character.”

Ball, who has hosted The Radio 2 Breakfast Show since 2019, has often spoken about the impact of her mother’s illness and loss, describing her as her “best friend and greatest cheerleader.”

Her comments come after a difficult year in which she revealed she suffered an emotional breakdown following the death of her mother.

The broadcaster initially stepped away from her breakfast show after the loss and later announced she would leave the role permanently at the end of the year, with Scott Mills taking over the flagship slot.

Ball’s mother Julia with son Woody Cook (Instagram/Zoe Ball)

Speaking on her podcast Dig It last month, Ball recalled the devastating impact of her grief.

“I couldn’t work. I was on the floor in the kitchen. I couldn’t, I couldn’t move,” she admitted. “I had a proper emotional breakdown, you know, I haven’t really talked about it actually.

“But it was, yeah, it was brutal. I had an amazing doctor who turned up at my door with coffee and bagels and said, ‘So, we need to get you some help,’ and he was wonderful.”

Before her departure, Ball was one of the BBC’s highest-paid female presenters, earning a reported £950,000 a year.

If you’ve been affected by the topics raised in this story advice and support can be found at Mind on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk

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