The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have sent a back-to-school message to a young cancer survivor this week.
Mila Sneddon first rose to prominence as the subject behind a photograph featured in Kate’s pandemic-era photography project, Hold Still. As a four-year-old living with and receiving treatment for blood cancer, she had to isolate away from her father and sister, and a photo of her greeting her father through a window became a famous image of life during the pandemic.
At the time her photo was chosen, Mila told reporters: “There is a real life Princess who picked my picture. The Queen knows about everything, everyone in this whole entire world will see my picture,” and her friendship with Kate grew after a telephone call in which Kate promised to wear a pink princess dress when they met in person.
Mila’s mother Lynda tweeted a photo of the youngster on her first day of school, captioning it: “First day back at school ❤️ Very proud ! This is Milas first school year not undergoing treatment ?. Love you Mila ❤️ Thank you @NHSGGC for making this possible #ChildhoodCancer #childhoodcancerawareness #BloodCancer #remission #cancerfree”
The Kensington Palace Twitter account retweeted the photo, adding a message: “Such an incredible journey. Good luck from all of us at Kensington Palace, Mila ❤️”
Lynda then replied to the tweet: “Thank you for your very kind words Mila has settled in well and delighted to be back at school, sending best wishes to you all at KP ?”
The youngster met Kate in Scotland in 2021—both dressed in princess dresses—while Kate was there for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The Sneddon family appeared on the Lorraine morning show afterwards, and Lynda revealed: “It was an incredible experience and we were really well taken care of and memories that we’ll treasure for a lifetime. It was such a surreal experience, where we were seated as their guests was just phenomenal and it’s been very much appreciated after a difficult time.”
Kate and Mila’s friendship continued through to Christmas 2021, when Mila and her family were guests for Kate’s Christmas service at Westminster Abbey.
