Well before being diagnosed with cancer herself, Princess Kate Middleton donated some of her hair to children who had been diagnosed with the disease.
After Kate, 42, had seven inches of hair cut off in 2017, she made the decision to donate her locks to the Little Princess Trust, according to the Sunday Express at the time.
The Little Princess Trust is a U.K.-based charity organization that provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young adults who have lost their own hair due to cancer. Kate was inspired to make the donation after her hairstylist Joey Wheeler gave her a trim because as he suggested, according to the Express, “it was just getting too long.”
So, instead of throwing the hair away, Kate got creative. The Princess of Wales made the donation anonymously, and the trust itself didn’t even know the hair was from Kate.
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“It was sent using someone else’s name, so that the trust didn’t know it was from a royal source,” an insider told the Express. “They just thought it was from a female donor in the Kensington area.”
Little Princess Trust spokesperson Helen Creese told People at the time that “probably more than one person” has received a wig made from Kate’s hair.
“It’s a really lovely thought and it’s fantastic for raising awareness, plus it’s gorgeous hair, Creese continued. “We all lust after that hair!”
Kate announced she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in an emotional March 22 video released by Kensington Palace.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was noncancerous,” Kate revealed. “The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”
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Kate said the diagnosis came as a “huge shock” to the entire family.
“William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” she continued. “As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.”
Kate and husband Prince William share three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
