Little girl who met Kate while being treated for cancer urges Princess ‘fight like I did’: Eight-year-old Mila tells Princess ‘you will be brave because I was’ after royal supported her during her own battle
The little girl who stole the Princess of Wales’s heart during her own battle with cancer has sent her a heartwarming message urging Kate to ‘fight like I did’.
Mila Sneddon, 8, from Falkirk, Scotland, was ‘deeply saddened’ by the princess’ shock diagnosis and has issued her own rallying cry to Kate, saying ‘you will be brave because I was too’.
The schoolgirl won the heart of the Princess of Wales after a photo of her in isolation while receiving treatment for leukemia went viral during the Covid pandemic.
Kate, 42, met Mila twice after seeing an image of the little girl staring at her dad through a window in March 2020.
The Princess of Wales even sent the eight-year-old a handwritten note after she was completely free from the disease two years ago. They met twice in 2021 – once at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh for tea, where Kate kept her promise to wear Mila’s favorite color, pink.
Mila Sneddon, 8, from Falkirk, Scotland, was ‘deeply saddened’ by the princess’s shock diagnosis and gave her own rallying cry to Kate
They met twice in 2021 – once at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (pictured) for tea, where Kate kept her promise to wear Mila’s favorite colour, pink.
And then at Westminster Abbey for the Christmas concert, where Mila was invited to read a prayer.
Mila has now sent her own message of support to her ‘best friend’ Kate, as she told the Sunday Mail: ‘You will be brave because I was and you will fight it like me.’
The princess and Mila became friends when the little girl was photographed kissing her father through a window as she shielded herself while undergoing intensive chemotherapy for leukemia during lockdown.
The photo, titled Shielding Mila, was taken by her mother Lynda and was one of 100 images in Kate’s 2020 book Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation.
Mila was separated from her father during the first lockdown because he had to continue working and could not risk Covid-19 entering the family home.
Kate and Mila spoke on the phone after the image was selected from among hundreds for the exhibition and book Hold Still.
During the sweet conversation, Mila started the call by saying, “Good morning, Your Royal Highness,” to which Kate responded, “Good morning.” My goodness, you’re so polite Mila.’
Mila excitedly told Kate that she likes walking her dog, knows the names of all her and William’s children and loves the color pink – prompting the princess to promise she will wear a pink dress when they meet.
Mila with Kate at Westminster Abbey for the 2021 Christmas concert, where the little girl was invited to read a prayer
Kate sent Mila a ‘beautiful’ handwritten letter when she was declared cancer-free, which her mother, Lynda, said was ‘such a lovely gesture’
Mila speaks to Prince William and Catherine as she and her family attend a Beating Retreat of The Massed Pipes and Drums of the Combined Cadet Force in Scotland as special guests
When they met, Kate told the youngster she wanted to give her a “big squeeze hug.”
Kate and Mila spoke on the phone after the image was selected from among hundreds for the exhibition and book Hold Still
The Princess kept her promise when she welcomed Mila for tea at Holyroodhouse in 2022, with them both wearing pink dresses.
When they met, Kate told the youngster she wanted to give her a “big squeeze hug.”
Kate sent Mila a “beautiful” handwritten letter when she was declared cancer-free, which her mother, Lynda, said was “such a beautiful gesture.”
The schoolgirl is now said to be planning to make a get well soon card to wish Kate a speedy recovery.
Lynda, 40, said Kate’s announcement on Friday that she was undergoing a course of ‘preventive chemotherapy’ came on the two-year anniversary of Mila’s remission.
Mrs Sneddon told the Sunday Mirror: ‘We were shopping when we heard the news. Mila turned to me and told me she wanted to make and send Kate a card. So Mila will make contact in her own way.
‘Kate showed Mila so much compassion, care and support, both during and after treatment. So it was very emotional to see her now facing her own health issues.”
She continued, “Cancer is like a community and a club that no one wants to belong to.
The princess and Mila became friends when the little girl was photographed kissing her father through a window as she shielded herself while undergoing intensive chemotherapy for leukemia during lockdown.
When the pandemic hit, parents Lynda and Scott decided to isolate separately to minimize the risk to their daughter. The photo shows the tearful reunion of Scott and Mila
‘We are very sad to hear that she has joined the club, but the Sneddons are fully behind her and we wish her all the best.
“We have nothing but admiration for her coming out and telling her story publicly.”
Kate’s type of cancer has not been disclosed, but in her statement the princess insisted she is “doing well and getting stronger every day.”
Both she and the Prince of Wales are said to be ‘hugely moved’ and ‘extremely touched’ by the warmth and support from the public following the announcement.