The Princess of Wales, who announced on Friday evening that she has cancer, previously donated her own locks to young children with cancer.
In a poignant video on Friday evening, the future Queen admitted that her diagnosis came as a ‘huge shock’ and revealed that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment.
Kate, 42, is believed to cut off seven inches of her own hair to donate to charity to help make a realistic wig for a child who lost their hair while having treatement – and did the good deed anonymously.
The mum-of-three reportedly came up with the idea after chatting with her hairdresser while she was pregnant in 2018 with Prince Louis.
“Four months ago Joey persuaded her it was time to take off some of her hair; he said it was just getting too long,” said a royal source at the time. “While Joey was snipping away the idea came to her of doing some good with it rather than throwing it away. She mentioned it to Joey, who thought it was a brilliant idea.”
The source said: “It was sent using someone else’s name, so that the trust didn’t know it was from a royal source – they just thought it was from a female donor in the Kensington area.”
“It’s lovely to think somewhere a little girl is happily wearing a wig made from a real princess’s hair.
“It’s a very heartwarming thing for Kate to have done, and very thoughtful to use hair that would have otherwise just been thrown away.”
The charity was set up by the parents of Hannah Tarplee, who died at the age of 5 from a cancerous tumour.
They have since donated thousands real hair wigs to sick children and towards finding causes and cures for paediatric cancer.
Meanwhile, a young girl who met the Princess of Wales while being treated for cancer has urged Kate to “fight it like I did”.
Kate, 42, met Mila Sneddon in 2021 after her story touched the princess.
The Sunday Mail reported Mila, now eight and in remission, urged the princess: “You will be brave because I was and you will fight it like I did.”
Mila, from Stenhousemuir, near Falkirk in Scotland, met the future queen after her picture was included in Kate’s photography project during the coronavirus pandemic.
She had come to symbolise isolation during lockdown after being pictured kissing the kitchen window in her home as her father stood outside.
The little girl had been undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia and was photographed separated from her father during the first lockdown because he had to keep working and could not risk bringing Covid-19 into the family home.
Kate and Mila spoke on the phone after the image was among 100 selected for the Hold Still exhibition and book.
They met in May 2021 when Mila and her family were invited to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh where they both wore pink.
The schoolgirl is now reported to be planning to make a get-well card to wish Kate a speedy recovery.
Mila’s mother Lynda, 40, said Kate’s announcement on Friday that she was undergoing a course of “preventative chemotherapy” had come on the two-year anniversary of Mila being in remission.
Mrs Sneddon told the Sunday Mail: “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 private way.
“Kate showed Mila such compassion, care and support both during and post treatment. So it’s been very emotional to see she is now facing her own health struggles.”
She continued: “Cancer is like a community and a club that no one wants to be in.
“We are very sad to hear she has joined the club but the Sneddons are completely behind her and we wish her the very best.
“We have nothing but admiration for her to have been able to come out and publicly tell her story.”
Kate’s type of cancer has not been disclosed, but in her statement the princess stressed she is “well and getting stronger every day”.
Both she and the Prince of Wales are said to be “enormously touched” and “extremely moved” by the public’s warmth and support following the announcement.
