Princess Kate returns to her royal duties

Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales attended her first major royal occasion since ending chemotherapy, the news agency AFP reported.  

She smiled and clapped alongside her husband Prince William at the Festival of Remembrance commemorative concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The royal couple was joined by the head of state King Charles III.

Queen Camilla missed Britain’s annual remembrance weekend events to honor fallen service personnel while she recovers from a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said Saturday.

The wife of King Charles III was due to join the royal family at a “Festival of Remembrance” at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night. The 77-year-old was also scheduled to honor the war dead at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial, a major event for Britain’s royals, the next day.

“Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events,” the statement said, adding that she was greatly disappointed.

The king was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February but he has gradually returned to public duties after receiving treatment, and recently completed a trip to Australia and Samoa.

Kate underwent her own treatment for an unspecified type of cancer that was detected after abdominal surgery earlier in the year. She said in September that it had been a difficult year but expressed relief that she had completed chemotherapy.

London — Getting a hug from Catherine, the Princess of Wales, wasn’t even on 16-year-old Liz Hatton’s bucket list. But the budding photographer, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer early this year, not only got an emotional embrace from Princess Kate at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, but was lauded for inspiring Kate as she recovers from her own bout with cancer.

Kate announced only weeks ago that she’d completed chemotherapy after doctors discovered cancer following an abdominal surgery in January. It was that same month that doctors told Hatton she had the extremely rare cancer desmoplastic small round cell tumor — and that she likely only had six months to three years to live.

Scans revealed tumors on Hatton’s ovaries and liver after she experienced abdominal pain over Christmas. Only about a dozen people are diagnosed with the aggressive form of cancer in England every year, according to cancer charity Sarcoma UK, and no standard treatment regimen exists. 

In May, with time ticking, Hatton’s mother Vicky Robayna published her daughter’s photography bucket list on social media.

“We hope every day for a lifetime for her but if we can’t achieve that we hope to create her a lifetime of memories,” wrote Robayna. “If we can make even one of her photography bucket-list happen for her she will be beyond delighted.” 

Hatton’s list included photographing a major West End musical, the catwalk runway at London Fashion Week, famous music festivals and professional models. It did not include photographing the future British monarch, but Hatton’s mother noted that she’d appreciate “any other photography-based opportunities.”

“Please help us to give her the life she deserves in the short time she has,” her mother said to end the post. 

Princess Kate, an avid amateur photographer herself, invited the teenager to help document a private royal award ceremony after her husband William, the Prince of Wales, learned about Hatton through his support of London’s Air Ambulance Charity. On Wednesday, William and Kate welcomed Hatton to Windsor Castle for the event, and then stood with Hatton and her family for some more photos. 

A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today. A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both. Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us. W&C pic.twitter.com/VARhrbCvkv

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 2, 2024

“A pleasure to meet with Liz at Windsor today. A talented young photographer whose creativity and strength has inspired us both,” the royal couple said in a post on their shared social media account. “Thank you for sharing your photos and story with us.”

“Such lovely, genuine and kind people, I’m over the moon that my family and I had this experience,” Hatton wrote in reply.

“It’s a day none of us will ever forget and we are so very grateful to you all,” added her mother.

In June, Hatton’s mother told CBS News’ partner network BBC News that her daughter’s end-of-life diagnosis had “changed all our lives in a way we didn’t expect.” 

“We were out looking at universities a month before. It all happened very suddenly,” said Robayna.

Hatton’s mother and father have told their daughter that from now on, just “follow your heart.”

Hatton has since received offers to photograph the productions of “Wicked” and “Cabaret” in London’s West End, in addition to the Royal Marines — and she has already had the opportunity to watch a filming of her favorite TV show.

CNN
 — 

Brendan Lawlor is a man of his word.

In October 2020, the Irishman told CNN Sport he hoped to “keep the ball rolling” for the next generation of golfers with disabilities.

Now No. 1 in the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability, Lawlor has driven that ball across the fairway and over the summit – and it doesn’t look like it’s landing anytime soon.

Three years ago, he was acclimatizing to his new life as a professional athlete. Since then, the 25-year-old has become the first golfer with a disability to compete on the European Tour, won three disability events in a row through 2021, and rocketed to the top of the disability golf world rankings.

In recent weeks, he has helped Prince Harry improve his swing and headlined a landmark new Tour for disability golf – yet perhaps Lawlor’s most cherished moment came at the final trials for his country’s disability golf European Championships team.

“It’s pretty crazy – last year in Ireland we had no disability golfers and this year we had a final trial with seven players – all below three-handicap, which is amazing,” Lawlor told CNN.

“They all say, ‘we started this because … we saw you playing The Belfry (on Lawlor’s European Tour debut), we see you doing this,” he added. “It’s a feel-good feeling in your stomach when people try something because you’re creating the path for them.

“I don’t really care about rankings – I just want to go out and win as many events as I can, and change as many people’s lives as I can.”

From his hometown of Dundalk, north of Dublin, Lawlor was chatting ahead of the start of the inaugural Golf for the Disabled (G4D) Tour at the British Masters.

A four-time host of the Ryder Cup, in Warwickshire, England, The Belfry provided an iconic setting for the launch of the Tour, to be contested by the world’s 10 best-ranked golfers with disabilities in seven events across six countries.

Where disability events were once swallowed up between European Tour events, the new G4D Tour will run in association with – and across two days immediately prior to – the European Tour. With each tournament the subject of a full-length broadcast documentary on Sky Sports, disability golf is enjoying more exposure than ever before.

World No. 2 Kipp Popert was victorious in the maiden event, with Lawlor finishing four shots off the Englishman in fourth.

Watch: European Tour CEO on name change to DP World Tour

“If we can keep sending this message, if we can impact even 10 people’s lives, it’s massive,” said Lawlor, who already dreams of expanding the Tour to as many as 50 players. “This is going to have a roll-on effect for disability golf.”

Lawlor’s recent Belfry outing marked a return to the course he made headlines at in 2020 when he competed alongside major winners Danny Willett and Martin Kaymer – as well as former world No. 1 Lee Westwood – at the ISPS Handa UK Championship – the first time a golfer with a disability played in a professional European Tour event.

Born with Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, a rare genetic condition characterized by short limb dwarfism, Lawlor has no knuckles on the top of his fingers. While welcoming his platform as a leading disability golfer and the opportunities it brings, the Irishman is keen for himself and fellow players not to be defined by their disabilities.

“We’re getting these massive opportunities because we’re doing abnormal things – we shouldn’t be able to do what we can do with a golf club or a golf ball,” he said.

“So we’re getting these opportunities because we are disability athletes, but I don’t like it when people categorize you and put you in a disability category, because golf is for all – you play at any level.”

“That’s the beautiful thing about our game,” he added. “Yes, we play disability golf on a disability tour, but if you’re good enough to play on the European Tour with able-bodied golfers, you get that chance.”

Lawlor turned professional in September 2019 and signed with Modest! Golf Management, a company founded by fellow Irishman and singer-songwriter Niall Horan. An advocate for disability golf, the former One Direction star is now a close friend.

“He’s changed my life really – ever since I signed, he’s brought me some incredible endorsement deals and has really embraced disability golf,” Lawlor said. “He’s just a genuinely nice chap and he’d do anything to help you.”

And as if a hugely successful music career wasn’t enough, Horan is also an impressive golfer, currently playing off an eight-handicap.

Horan isn’t the only famous face to have picked up a club with Lawlor. In April, the Irishman dished out swing tips to the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, at The Hague in the Netherlands.

Lawlor was promoting the fifth edition of the Invictus Games, an international event for wounded serving and veteran military personnel, with Prince Harry a Patron of the Games’ Foundation.

Using a golf simulator room, Lawlor spent the day giving lessons to veterans from across the globe who shared their stories of various battles, both physical and mental.

Related: Steph Curry launches all-expenses paid golf tour for young underrepresented players

“These guys were trying out golf for the first time and making contact with the ball,” Lawlor said. “It only takes one person to get involved and start the game and that can get more people into it.”
And how was the Duke of Sussex’s swing? Not bad at all, Lawlor says.

“He grabbed the club and I just tweaked one or two things and he hit it really well,” Lawlor added. “He was a really nice guy.”