The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted the finalists for the BBC Radio 1’s Teen Hero Awards at Kensington Palace earlier this month, Kensington Palace revealed Tuesday morning.
William and Kate met with the 10 finalists on 1 October at Kensington Palace and were joined by singer Camila Cabello and BBC Radio 1 DJs Clara Amfo and Greg James.
The BBC announced on Tuesday that the winners of the 2019 Teen Heroes Awards were Hazel, Rachel and Scarlett.
Hazel, a 12-year-old living with the rare genetic condition Xeroderma Pigmentosum, which sees her skin affected by UV exposure, told the BBC, “At primary school, children wouldn’t understand the severity of my condition and would often try to knock off my hat and visor. As a result, this made me feel very isolated and painfully shy in social situations.”
She has learned to work with her condition – which had an initial requirement that she stay indoors at all times, though she has managed to work around this – and uses her platform to raise awareness of XP through film, public speaking opportunities and raising money by climbing Ben Lomond in her protective gear.
Rachel is a 17-year-old who volunteers and campaigns for young people in the UK, including acting as an advocate for youth council, cyberbullying and knife crime.
“I feel extremely passionate about talking knife crime because I see young people feeling safe as a priority and want to ensure that the voices of all young people are heard in society.”
Scarlett is a 14-year-old who cares for her mother, old sister and grandmother while living with HNPP, an incurable nerve condition that causes pain. She says to the BBC that “I still make time to follow my passions – writing poems, stories and learning history!”
The other finalists include a young sports coach who helps adults with disabilities to learn and play sports; a young DJ who works with a programme that makes signs and symbols in an effort to be more inclusive to his audience; a water safety campaigner; an advocate for the air ambulance service; a cancer patient campaigning on behalf of his hospital and charities; a young person with a skeletal disorder campaigning to make sports more inclusive; and a cancer charity campaigner who lost her brother to the disease and helps families through their tough times.
Hazel, Rachel and Scarlett will be presented with their awards on 24 November.
